Full text of "Variety (February 1958)"

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RIEJY 


VOL. 209 No. 10 


Published Weekly at 154 West 46th Street,.New York 36. N. Y.,by Variety. Inc. Annual subscription. $10. Single copies* 25cent*, 
Entered as second-class matter December 22, 1905.. at. the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. 
COPYRIGHT, 1958;BY VARIETY, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 


NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY; FEBRUARY 5, 1958 


PRICE 25 CENTS 





Vancouver, Feb. 4. . - 

ThA large German population of 
this city is outraged at KVOS-.TV, 
Bellingham, Wash.. station across 
the border, that's been showing 
films depicting Hitler’s followers 
in odious light. Video outlet, al¬ 
though U. S. based, derives con¬ 
siderable revenue from Canadian 
sponsors and, ^ consequently,; can¬ 
not shrug off such complaints. 

Squawks have been lodged 
against the station for showing. 
Warner Bros, film, “Edge of Dark¬ 
ness’* and, subsequently, Vohn 
Steinbeck’s “The Moon Is Down,” 
In the first instance, Dr. H. F. 
Liebrecht* German consul here, 
•declared that the film depicted 
Germans “not like normal people, 
more like criminals, sadists Or 
even idiots,” Dr. Liebrecht wrote 
to Dave Mintz, KVOS-TV’s general 
manager, and latter said no of¬ 
fense was intended. 

German diplomat, maintained 
that he received more thbn 100 
letters protesting * exhibition of 
“Edge of Darkness** and that Ger¬ 
man immigrants* “children were 
beaten up,” and vilified after film 
had been viewed on tv. 

Officials of the tv station, al¬ 
though not wishing to offend their 
‘■foreign*’ audience, take position, 
that if one were to edit such films, 
“you might as well ask us to kill 
‘Mutiny, on the Bounty* because 
Bligh was a vicious Englishman.” 

Leaders of local German colony, 
from time to time, have fought the 
(Continued on page 71) 



H’wood Bettis on TV Comedy Upbeat, 
But Hedges With Even More Westerns 


An Eisay 

H. ALLEN SMITH 
The reason I want to be on 
one of these tv quiz shows and 
win some money is that-when 
the m.c. says to me, ‘’What 
you going to do with the 
money? ”, why then I will say 
to him, “I will tell you if, first, 
yo3f tell me what you’re going 
to do with all the money you 
get put of this program.” 

The End 


But Regret It 

Protestant and Jewish spokes¬ 
men* reacted with surprise last 
week to a Roman Catholic state* 
ment deploring the lack of inter* 
denominational support for the ob^ 
jectives and activities of the Na¬ 
tional Legion of Decency. 

Their comments, over and over 
again* reflected the feeliiig that, 
if the Legion no longer enjoyed 
wide support, the fault had to be 
attributed primarily to the Gathp^ 
lie position and the Legion’s de¬ 
terminedly hegativistic outlook. 

Issue originally was raised by 
Father ’ Thurston Davis, editor of 
the Jesuit weekly, America, speak¬ 
ing at the film industry Commun¬ 
ion Breakfast in New York. Father 
Davis nqted. the once powerful 
support the Legion had had from 
(Continued on page 72) 


Trouble? That’s for Hollywood; 
for cafes, for television,- or pay- 
see, not the legitimate today: 
Broadway’s round aietdr play¬ 
houses, “the fabulous invalid” of 
yesteryear, is thriving. An Unujpual 
number of hits have been regis¬ 
tered. so far this season.. 

The Broadway legit season is 
turning out to be the biggest in 
many years. In contrast to the 
generally negative: feeling in the 
trade last .fall*, after the;, more or 
less customary .flurry of mediocre 
offerings, it’s figured there are 
nipre new smash hits on the boards 
tham&'t any time in recent memory. 

Thus far, seven solid sellout 
shows have opened this season, 
and at least two more are antici¬ 
pated in the next few weeks. In 
addition, four new entries are do¬ 
ing profitable business and are ap¬ 
parently set to continue indefi¬ 
nitely. 

Bolstering the hew^season sue* 
cesses are three holdover produc¬ 
tions .stiil playing to capacity 
trade, plus four other holdover 
hits apparently set to continue im 
definitely. There have been rela T 
tiveiy few quick flops involving 
large losses. 

Among the new season smashes 
are two musicals And five straight 
plays. The four healthy-looking 
other new entries are also straight 
shows. Of the three capacity pro* 
Auctions from previous seasons, 
tWo are musicals and one a 
straight play. Of the holdover 
hits, two are tuners and two 
straight plays. 

The new musical smashes are 
“Jamaica” and “Music Man” and 
the smash straight plays are “Dgrk 
at the Top of the Stairs,” ‘Look 
Homeward, Ahgei,” “Time Re¬ 
membered,” “Two for the Sea- 
.. (Continued, on page 77) 


TV: Tiny Vision* 

Toledo, Feb. 4. 

Slurs and slams at television 
by theatre operators and film 
showmen are not; new, but 
with the “old*- movies eating 
the “new** movies alive, Fred 
Lentz of the Miracle-Mile 
Drive-In near here. is carrying 
this line in all his newspaper 
ads: 

“This film will not be shown 
on TV (T iny Vision ) for seven 
years ” 


(Also Body) On 


NBC’s taking no chances on foul¬ 
ing up the new-found affluence and 
influence of the -‘Tonight” show. 
For some time the network’s been 
disturbed over the. burlesque show- 
overtones on the late night entry; 
particularly on the Tuesday night 
guestings of Elsa Maxwell. The : 
climax came last week, during the 
two-week, “tenuring’* of Jonathan 
Winters* subbing for £aar, when 
Princeton pundit Ashley Montague 
did a guest stint which provoked 
a 200-letter protest over the mate¬ 
rial used on the show.. 

NBC then went into action. The 
web’s top program command called 
in producer Perry Cross and told 
him, in effect, tq “clean it up or 
we’ll clean it up for you.” That 
(Continued on page 79) 


Major telefilm producers are bet* 
ting heavily that there will be a 
resurgence of comedy series next 
season, with over 20% of pilots 
now under production or planned 
for spring selling falling into the 
comedy niche. 

Upcoming comedy pilots far out¬ 
distance the number available for 
spring selling last season, accord¬ 
ing to a significant sampling of the 
majority of telefilm houses. Oaters, 
due to the success of the shoot-em- 
ups this season, will be on top of 
the. pilot heap in numbers, as ex¬ 
pected. 

But despite the acknowledged 
ride the westerns are expected to 
get next year, there appears to be 
a big push for the comedy pilots, 
which, in numbers, lag only about 
5% behind in the sage brush cate¬ 
gory. The clicks in comedy skeins 
are hard to come by, but the win¬ 
ning jackpot is high, as exemplified 
by the giant Desilu firm today, the 
“Phil Silvers* Show,” etc. That's 
one reason for the “go for broke” 
“laugh-skein” gamble. 

Other weffjsupplied categories in¬ 
clude drama, action adventure, and 
mystery-detective, with the re¬ 
mainder of the field represented 
by relatively scattered shots. The 
sample includes the breakdown of 
pilots from the following houses: 
MCA’s Revue; CBS Film Sales; 
Screen Gems; National Telefilm 
Associates; Television Programs of 
America; 20th-Fox’s TCF; Metro 
TV; Warner Bros.; Official Films 
and Guild. 

Of the over 50 pilots repre- 
(Continued on page 21) 


Bing’s 5-Yr. TV 


Kermit Bloomgarden, producer' 
of “Look Homeward, Angel,” has a 
deal in the works for the Sale of 
a substantial interest in the produc¬ 
tion -on a capital gain baste. He’s 
also understood to be considering A 
similar proposition for “The Music 
Man.** . i 

The “Angel” deal reportedly 
calls for Theatrical Interests Plan, 
ah investment syndicate headed by 
Theodore Ritter,* to buy 20% of the 
show from Bloorngarden for $100,- 
(000. Also, Theatre 200, a syndicate 
headed by Edward Specter, Is to 
buy another 5% from the producer 
for $25,000' 

Thus, Bloomgarden will dispose 
of 25% of the show, representing 
sbmewhat more than half his in¬ 
terest, for $125,000. Theatre 200 is 
already: partnered with Bloomgar- 
dtn in the operation, with co-pro¬ 
ducer billing.; The syndicate is; also, 
a hacker ofthe show, with a $46,425 
investment. TIP is also a major in¬ 
vestor, with a $10,000 slice. 

“Angel’’ cost. over. $143,000 to 
produce and is netting about $7,000 
a week. 


Yank Shoestring-&-Private-CharUy 


mm s 


Unless Congress belatedly okays 
additional, desperately need e d 
funds, U: S! talent participation for 
the 26-week mil of the Brussels 
World Fair, opening this April, will 
have to depend upon private make¬ 
shift promotion and philanthropy, 
H6w much of the latter lias already 
been called upon is becoming evi¬ 
dent. 

While still hopeful that key man 
Rep, John J. Rooney (Democrat, 
Brooklyn) will respond to the plea 
that American prestige visVa-vis 
Russia is at stake. Micella .Cisney, 
coordinator of performing arts un¬ 
der Commissioner-General Howard 
S. Cullman, has secured help from 
various sources in lining up some 
11 events to augment the four 
N. Y. City Center <• shows, as pre¬ 
viously revealed, which Are under 


Jean Dalrymple’s personal coordi¬ 
nation. 

American talent in some cases is 
donating its services or accepting 
.per diem minimum costs in Brus¬ 
sels. Certain events have been 
“caught on the: fly” coming from 
or going to other European book¬ 
ings, as is the case with Louis 
Armstrong Who is making Another 
of his many Continental tours and 
will climax America Day (July 4, 
and also Satchmp’s birthday), for 
Which purpose the Expo’s own 
stadium (70,000 capacity) Will be 
utilized; 

Armstrong dates in Brussels,, as 
those of Count Basie and Sarah 
Vaughan, Will be via a tleup with 
the Newport Jazz Festival, the lat¬ 
ter acting as impresario. 

A prime break for the U. S, is; 


the agreement with Magna to stage 
its European premiere of the 
Rodgers-HAmmerstein film, “South 
Pacific” during the month of May, 
at practically eost-of-installation for 
the Todd-AQ .gear. 

NBC will pay part of the trans¬ 
port rehearsal and make-ready ex¬ 
pense for the world premiere at 
the expa of • Gian-Carlo Menotti’s 
new opera* “Maria Golovin.*’ Its 
American debut will follow next 
season on tv; Menotti will stage. 

Another deal lined up by Miss 
Cisney (A legit and video “stage 
director by profession) will bring 
Jerome Robbins* special modern 
dance troupe of 12 from the New 
Arts Festival at Spoleto, Italy, to 
Brussels, en route back to U. S. To 
cover the fares from Italy to Bel- 
(Continued on page 10) 


Bing Crosby and CBSTV a 
negotiating a new longterm co 
tract covering both special* telei 
sion appearances and radio excl 
sivity. Deal is still in the prelii 
inary stages, hut it envisions 
specified number of appearanc 
on the web per year over a fb 
year span; Deal is limited 
radio-tv, and although Crosbj 
reps had indicated they’d like Cl 
to help* finance his motion pietu; 
activities,-the web has nixed th 
aspect 

For the. past few years, Crosl 
hasn’t been under any contractu 
ties in* television to the networ 
though he*s restricted his activity 
to CBS except for an occasion 
guest shot. elsewhere (as wit 
Frank Sinatra on ABC this se 
son). Every one of his appea; 
ances has been the result of 
separate negotiation and deal wit 
CJBS or a sponsor. New deal woul 
eliminate such one-shot negeti 
tions. 


















-3L ynSCBIXANT 

Sex Aisles m Old FOiiis a New TV 
Headache Cut‘Camera,’ Hide’Harlow 

“I Am a Camera," the Julie Har- f—“r—• -' ■ ' " " •' 


rls-Shelley Winters starrer now be- 
clng prepped for tv distribution, 
will undergo some changes at the 
Option of local stations. 

The pic when initially distrib¬ 
uted got a "Condemned" rating 
from the Catholic Legion of De¬ 
cency and failed to receive the Mo¬ 
tion Picture Assn, of America code 
seal. Fred Schwartz, prexy of Dis¬ 
tributors Corp. of America, said 
that, at the option of the local sta¬ 
tion, a prolog or epilog will be 
added, and references to abortion 
and menstruation will be toned 
down. He said the .film today 
would receive the MPAA seal, for 
the production code has been 
amended lifting the blanket ref¬ 
erence to abortion in motion pic¬ 
tures. 

The Christopher IsherwOod story 
was adapted for a legit play on 
Broadway prior to the filming of 
the pic. It concerns the plight of a 
hapless, mixed-up girl living in. the 
post-World War I decadence of 
Germany. 

The prolog or epilog would be 
added to nail down the fact that 
the girl suffered retributions. for 
her loose living. That was one of 
the bone of contentions when the 
Legion and the MPAA nixed the 
pic. The DCA topper pointed out 
that there have been other Legion- 
condemned pix telecast on tv, In¬ 
cluding “Bitter Rice," "Anna" and 
"Forever Amber," many ofvabich 
were toned down at the discretion 
of the station. 

He credited, the television medi¬ 
um for hot being as "controlled" 
by the Legion as the motion pic¬ 
ture industry. -He added he was 
willing to make all the previous ex¬ 
plained changes when the pic was 
initially released but got a turn- 
(Continued on page 79) 


HIT DRAMATIST SCHARY 
NOW TACKLING DA PIC 

Dore Schary, currently riding 
with a click Broadway play in' 
"Sunrise At Campobello,” is re¬ 
turning to Hollywood next Wednes¬ 
day <12) to activate his new in¬ 
dependent film company, Schary 
Productions. He’s negotiating for a 
play property which he’ll adapt 
into a film for distribution via 
United Artists. 

‘ Schary, meantime, is still col¬ 
lecting a $100,000 a year from 
Loew’s on the $1,000,000 settle¬ 
ment of his studio pact as vice-! 
prexy in charge of production. 

John Raitt Into Cafes 

Lps Angeles, Feb. 4. 

Latest Broadway and tunefilm 
singer to hit the saloon circuit is 
John Raitt. 

He’ll make his nitery debut next 
October at the Cocoanut Grove 
here and follow it with a date at 
the Mapes in Reno, Negotiations 
now are underway for a stand at 
the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. 


Sam Cooke Finds Single 



On One-Nighters, Video 


The impact of a single hit disk 
on a singer’s career is again vivid¬ 
ly underlined in the case of Sam 
Cooke, who clicked with “You 
Send Me" on the indie Keen la¬ 
bel. Cooke, a 23-year-old Chica¬ 
goan who previously performed 
with the. Soul Steerers, a gospel 
group, stepped from a $200-a-week 
sailary into a $5,000 and over week¬ 
ly bracket shortly after the disk 
broke. 

For the. past couple of months, 
Cooke has been getting steady 
bookings in a string of clubs across 
the country, in addition to guest 
shots on such video shows as "The j 
Big Record," Steve Allen’s show 
and the Howard Miller series, 
yesterday (Tues.), he started' on a J 
one-niter tour in a package put to¬ 
gether by Feld Attractions. He’s 
also hooked for the Copacabana, 
N. Y. 

Cooke broke In on the Special¬ 
ty Records, label, a Coast outfit, 
but his contract was bought but 
by "Bumps" Blackwell, an arrang¬ 
er, who set up the Keen deal. 


TOMMY SANDS DRAWS 
SCREAMING TEENERS 

Dallas, Feb. 4. 

Mob hysteria from SRO 

crowd greeted Tommy Sands at 
the Palace, Interstate’s midtown 
deluxer, t Saturday (1), when he 
p. .’d at opening of his first fea¬ 
ture film, “Sing, Boy, Sing." 
Youngster was crowded on his 
airpox-t arrival, at the Adolphus 
Hotel lobby when he hoisted four- 
year-old Eddie Garay, a heart vic¬ 
tim, to light: the heart lamp, 
launching the local Heart Fund 
campaign. 

But when he walked on stage 
at the Palace (capacity 2,250) the 
overflow teenage crowd flooded 
tfee aisles and attendants were 
tasked to keep the screaming fans 
off the stage* as emcee Wayne 
Mack endeavored to conduct a 
q-and-a session between Sands and 
four local deejays. 

Four policemen were called to 
get Sands out of the theatre, and 
some 800 screaming, hysterical 
fans almost broke up the escort; 

Ted Wick, Sands’ personal man¬ 
ager, . said the p; a. tour, with the 
opening of "Sing, Boy, Sing/’ con¬ 
tinues, after dates' at the. Para¬ 
mount* Nashville (2) , and the 
Malco, Memphis. (3), in Texas at 
the Paramount,. Austin (4); Metros 
politan,- Houston -751; Aztec, San. 
Antonio 16) and the Fox, Atlanta 
(7); 



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!. ABEL GREEN; Editor 

Volume 209 Number 10 


I NO EX 


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72 

’ Night Club Reviews . 


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Film Reviews 

6 

Pictures 


House Reviews 


Radio .. . ....... 

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Inside Music ....... 


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•Wsdileflday, fibrnary 5, 1958 


TO AUCTION ESTATE OF 
MRS. CHAS.RINGLING 

Sarasota, Feb. ,4. 

Estate of the late Edith Conway 
Ringling, widow of Charles Ring- 
ling, one of the founders of the 
Ringling Bros. Circus, .will be auc¬ 
tioned off here starting Feb.! 22. 

First parcel, comprising 33,200 
acres located southeast of Sarasota 
and bordering Myakka s Stafe Park, 
is subject to an upset price of $70 
an acre; Second, package will, be 
the Ringling residence with 21V& 
acres bounded by BayshOre Rd. 
and facing Sarasota Bay, along 
with 52 lots and a large plot, in 
the commercial area of Ringling 
Blvd. ' 

Personal effects of the residence 
will be offered Feb.- 24. Nearly 
.700 lots are listed in the catalog. 
Sale had been ordered by the 
executor of the estate. 


For 10th Anni 

By P. VERNON 

Tbl Aviv, Jan. 28. 

Preparations are in full swing 
for the celebration of Israel’s 10th 
Anni as a State which runs from 
April through June. All artistic 
talent Available in the country will 
be mustered-—orchestras, soloists, 
dance groups,. ballet and theatres. 
Some governments have offered, to 
send performers: and troupes to Is¬ 
rael as special tourist attractions.. 

Paris, may send the Comedie 
Franchise and the U. S. may offer 
the Ballet Theatre. Israel, oh the 
other hand, will send some of its 
best talent to other countries to 
perform. The Youth Symphony 
will play at the Brussels Musical 
Youth Fest, the Army Orchestra 
has been invited to Holland* and 
Ffonce, the Inbal Dancers will con¬ 
tinue on its foreign tour and folk 
dance groups will appear..at the 
Brussels World Fair. 

In Israel, artistic offerings and 
folklore, events will be seen not 
only in the cities but also in the 
smallest villages. Concerts and 
theartical performances will be 
given also at the large. Jeerusalem 
Convention Centre, where a rep¬ 
resentative 10th Anni exhibition is 
being prepared. Space in the larg¬ 
er hotels- throughout the country 
has been almost .fully booked from 
abroad for the festival period. 

BUNDLE OF BANKNOTES 
SPEEDS ARMY’S ELVIS 

Memphis, Feb. 4. 

Lee Gordon. is putting together 
a closed-circuit theatre "Farewell 
to Elvis Presley" show for which 
Presley will get $200,000 guarantee 
before he’s inducted into the Army. 

Promoter expects to get some¬ 
where, between 200 to 250 theatres, 
throughout U. S. into closed-circuit 
TV hookup, with about 700,000 
seats in all.; Seats will: sell for $1 
: apiece. 

Brit. Woos Betty Grable, 
Borge ind Tommy Sands 

-London, Feb. 4. 

Betty Grable is being paged for 
a billtopping stint at the London 
Palladium, later this year. Norman 
Payne of Music Corp of America’s 
London office, said that a deal was 
being negotiated now. He also in¬ 
timated. that Victor Borge was 
dickering a return to this country 
in the spring for a series of .bne- 
nighters, probably at Rank-owned 
picture theatres. 

Liberace will be making a re¬ 
turn visit to Britain early in April 
for a tour of Rank houses, opening 
in London at the Dominion on 
Easter Sunday. Another possible 
Yank* headliner to - make the trip 
across the Atlantic for personal ap¬ 
pearances is Tommy Sands. 



Over British Pix Industry—And Soon 




London, Feb. 4. 


Cameron Mitchell Is - J: 
A Stand-Infor Father, 

In ‘Inherit* at York, Pa. 

York, Pa., Feb, 4. 

Cameron Mitchell, here to visit 
his family and plug his current 
Universal picture,. “All Mine to 
Give," took over on 24 hours notice 
last Friday night (31) as Matthew 
Harrison Brady in a : York .Little 
Theatre production of "Inherit the 
Wind." He substituted for' his 
father, 67-year-old Rev. Charles W. 
Mitzell, who was 111. 

The film and legit actor went 
through three. rehearsals with the 
local amateur troupe, but. confessed 
that the performance was “a kind 
of nightmare.” He described the 
Brady role, patterned after the 
late William Jennings Bryan, as a 
"great part, but not for me." He 
said bis father would have been 
"the perfect Bryan-—he is the 
man.” 

Mitchell, the youngest of seven 
children of Rev. and Mrs. Mitzell* 
will continue in the YLT show 
through next Saturday (8), then 
go to New York for a television 
appearance for Kraft. He’s set to 
play the Siamese monarch next 
summer in the Los--Angeles and 
San Francisco Civic . Light Opera 
production of "The King and I," 
and will shave his head for the as¬ 
signment. 

PAUL ROBESON HOPES 
BOOKING BAN ENDING 

Oakland, Feb. 4. 

Paul Robeson, jiow veering bn 
60, will sing Feb. 9 in the Oak¬ 
land Auditorium, which is : city 
owned. That fact in itself is un¬ 
usual since the Negro has been a 
boxoffice nix for about 10 years. 
More significant still his concert is 
getting normal newspaper, and ra¬ 
dio buildup in Bay area. 

Robeson sees the change as an 
omen that the two countries will 
get together musically-—meaning 
the U. S. and U. S.'S. R. 

Singer has made a-number of ap¬ 
pearances in California churches 
recently but big halls have not 
been .open to him. 

Robeson’s still verbotten In many 
arenas—-Frisco's 3,500-seat munici¬ 
pally owned Opera House and mu¬ 
nicipally owned Civic Auditorium 
are two examples—but he’s hopeful 
such bans will, melt away. Only 
opposition to his singing (as a kick- 
6ff for Negro History Week) in 
(Continued on page ?9) 

Show Biz Names Bantered 
In GM Salaries’ Probe 

Washington, Feb. 4. 

It was a tense moment at last* 
week’s hearing of the Senate Anti- 
Monopoly Subcommittee. Senator 
Estes Kefauver, of Tennessee, the 
chairman, leaned forward,, pointed 
a finger at Harlow Curtice, presi¬ 
dent of General Motors* and di¬ 
rected him to supply for the com¬ 
mittee records, the. income of all 
General Motors, executives before 
and after Income taxes. 


Although asserting that he did. 
not believe that nationalization of 
the picture industry would work. 
Sir Tom O’Brien, A^.P., in a speech 
at Birmingham, indicated that the 
sooner the industry was taken over 
by the government the better. 

Sir Tom, who is general secre¬ 
tary of the National Assn, of The¬ 
atrical and Kine Employees; and 
who has initiated a meeting of in¬ 
dustry toppers to discuss the latest 
crisis in British studios, pointed 
out that in the first fortnight of 
the year, 1,000 men had lost their 
jobs in film production, most of 
them craftsmen and trained peo¬ 
ple. All over the country, he noted, 
picture theatres Were closing down 
and there was only one answer to 
the lack of leadership in the in¬ 
dustry—"we should take it away 
from them," 

“I, personally, do not believe i 
the nationalization of the film in¬ 
dustry," noted the union topper, 
"but if they go on turning their 
theatres into Bart-time theatres 
and declaring redundancies—bver 
4,000 people have lost their jobs 
in the past seven years—and we 
are to see the human.factor in the 
picture theatres In Britain degrad¬ 
ed month, by month, then the. 
sooner the industry is taken from 
them the better." 

Sir Tom also hit out at the high 
incidence Of admission taxes. Un¬ 
less the three main political par¬ 
ties, he opined, realized that they 
were. milking the industry of its 
life blood, the British film trade 
would die very quickly. There was 
:a need for bigger and better pix. 

The public could not be expect¬ 
ed- to pay money “to see tripe" 
whether it came from Hollywood 
or Pine wood. Good films were ber 
ing made in Britain, but there: were 
not enough. The industry, was be¬ 
ing robbed at the boxoffice of $84,- 
000,000 a year by the Treasury, 
and until British producers could 
get a good return-they would con¬ 
tinue to make fewer films and 
worse films. 

Of his meeting with industry 
toppers, he commented: "Expect 
no magic rabbits from a magic 
hat.’’ There would be no miracles 
arising. 


LANZA TOURS EUROPE 
TO HELP B O. DRAW 

Frankfurt, Jan. 28. 

, Mario Lanza, who made "Seven 
Hills of Rome” for Metro, in Rome,, 
is rebuilding his fame in Europe 
and; also is making some extra 
pocket money, by making a con¬ 
cert tour of Europe before he 
returns to his home in Hollywood. 

Lanza went first to England for 
several concert playdates when - he 
finished the filmization in Rome, 
and is slated to tour Germany late 
this month through February. 9. 
He has dates in Munich, Stuttgart, 
Wiesbaden, Hamburg, Kiel, Han¬ 
nover and Nuernberg, at outstand¬ 
ing concert halls ..in each city. 
Then he will proceed to Paris for 
several other songfests. 


Senator EVerett Dirksen, of 
Illinois, interrupted Kefauver to 
say* “if that is done, T also want 
Mr. Curtice to supply the same in¬ 
formation for such well known fig¬ 
ures as Elvis Presley, the cele¬ 
brated torso shaker from Tennes¬ 
see." N 

A little taken aback, Kefauver 
interjected, "I don’t know any¬ 
body else in Tennessee who makes 
as much as Elvis Presley.” 

I Dirksen thought, a moment. and 
(Continued on page 71) 


Lanza’s U.K. Dates 

Edinburgh, Feb. 4 . 

Mario Lanza, on a new tour of 
British cities, is set to sing in. 3,000- 
seater Usher Hall here March 25. 
He. will also star at Caird Hall, 
Dundee. 

Other dates are skedded for Eng¬ 
lish cities of Bristol (March 4), 
Manchester, Liverpool, Birming¬ 
ham and Newcastle. A repeat show 
at St. Andrew’s Hall, Glasgow, is 
also a possibility. 

























PICT1JBES 


3 


Wednesday,. February 5, 1958 


GRISLY BOWLING: WITH HEADS 


By GENE ARNEEL 

Film and theatre business has its uncertainties, and that’s for cer¬ 
tain, but a roundup of the gross business’racked up by nine of the 
principal corporations, makes it clear that there’s much important money 
still within reach. 

Gross business per se is not important to earnings statements; it’s 
the income left after expenses and taxes that , counts.; But it does point 
up the vast fiscal scope of the film operations. 

For the nine companies listed the total revenues in 1957 climbed to 
$1,025,200!000. The 1956 tally was $993,300*000. 

This primarily is picture and theatre money, substantially less of 
the. lion’s share haying been contributed by subsidiaries in allied fields 
(such as music) and-unrelated branches such , as Stanley Warner’s In¬ 
ternational Latex. Exception, of course,^ is American Broadcasting- 
Paramount Theatres where the tv returns, rate high. 

The 1957 total tally is over $1,000,000,000, as noted, but obviously 
wiir still go higher as other returns are in. Not clocked, as. yet, for ex- 
..ample* are United Artists, RKO Theatres, Republic and Allied Artists. 

Following is the breakdown on gross business accumulated by most 
of the top film companies during fiscal 1957. Figures followed by an 
“E” are estimates, others are official! 

1957 1956 


Universal ..... 
AB-PT 

Col ......... 

. Loewis ....... 

paramount 
Nat's Theatres 
Stan Warner 
20th-Fox 
Warners 


. .$ 72*400,000 
. . 208,000,000 
; . 106,600,000 
... 160,000,000 
loo.ooo.ooO 

58,900,000 

115,100,000 

125,000,000 

79,200,000 

1,025^00,000 


$ 77,600,000 
206*800,000 
91,100,000 
172,000,000 
93,300,000 
59,700,000 
:96,100,000 
121,000,000 
76*700,000 
993,300*000 ’ 


Warners Preps A 


Part and parcel of the companies’ 
desire to effect economies in their 
...overseas setups, Warner Bros, is 
understood-readying to close five 
of its nine British exchanges. 

At the same time, 20th-Fox and 
Metro may extend their current 
arrangement under which 20th dis¬ 
tributes the Metro product in 
Trinidad and Ecuador add Metro 
reciprocates for 20th in. Austria. 
Divvying'up is based on: the com¬ 
panies’ comparatiive standing in 
Britain. 

Arrangement has worked out so. 
well that it may be applied to some 
other small markets where the two 
companies feel it makes little sense 
to maintain separate organizations. 

. In Britain, Warner Bros, and 
Metro recently denied, reports of a 
distribution merger. The exchange 
closings, decided bn by Wolfe 
Cohen, WB International topper, 
point to a different policy which 
is identical with that of Universal, 
i.e* contraction without loss of 
identity. 

Other distributors. feel that a, 
company can operate efficiently in 
Britain with only four exchanges 
and the WB move may be followed 
by others. U is handled in Britain 
by the Rank Organization. 


<oa > 


In a switch- from the policy that 
has prevailed since the Mike Todd 
production was. first , sent into re¬ 
lease oVer a year ago. United Art¬ 
ists is actively considering the 
presentation of “Around the World 
in 80 Days’’ on a continuous-run, 
strip-ticket basis. Picture, which 
has opened in 116 situations so far 
in either the Todd-AO or print- 
down versions, right along has 
been, shown as a hard-ticket road¬ 
show with performances liipited to 
one each night and matinees on 
Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sun¬ 
days. . _ 

Distributor currently is testing 
the.film for conventional exhibition 
at Loew’s Theatre, Louisville. Playr 
ing continuous run at a scale of 90c 
to $1.50 (the jump in price takes 
effect at 4 p.m.), “80 Days’' opened 
at the house last Friday (31) and 
grossed $9,200 in the first three 
* days. This is regarded as plenty; 
high (actually, a record for a UA 
picture) and doubtless, will lead to 
' (C ont i nued^ 


Rank’s Extended Time 
To 20th Product Ends 



Extended playing time for top- 
grossing 20th-Fox pictures will be 
granted by the Rank circuits, under 
the new arrangement which will 
see Rank and the independents 
splitting 20th’s studio-produced 
films 50-50. Indies will continue to 
get all of 20th’s British quota pix. 

. Deal was concluded in London 
recently by the Rank Organization, 
20th prexy Spyros P. SkoUras. and 
Murray Silverstone, 20th Interna¬ 
tional prez. 

.Question of extended playing 
time; was one of the causes for the 
original split between 20th and 
Rank, with 20th channelling its re¬ 
leases to the indies. _ However, in 
quite a number of non-competitive 
situations. Rank did book the 20th 
films.: , 

Silverstone said lait week ; that 
the new arrangement made sense 
“because !times have changed’’ and 
also because, the British indies 
couldn’t absorb all of the 20th 
product! He said Rank would play: 
‘‘South Pacific" in Todd-AO at the 
Dominion Theatre, London. 


JAPANESE PLOT TO 


Hollywood, Feb. 4. 
After seeing Japanese film, "The 
Seven Samurai,’’ at Canon. The¬ 
atre, screenwriter Louis Morheim 
figured it would make a good 
American picture, so bought U. S. 
rights for $2,500, 

Now his agent, Paul Small 
Artists Ltd:, is on verge of sign¬ 
ing deal . .whereby Morheim will 
produce film, to be adapted as a 
western, for Yul Brynner’s indie 
company, with Morheim as pro¬ 
ducer. . . 

Morheim Will receive $10,000 
cash for property, also $1,000 
week as producer. Additionally, 
has 5%' of net on .film, to be 
United Artists release. Brynner 
will star in film. 


SCREEN MUSICALS SHRINK 

Only Nine Due Vs. 19 Last Season 
—Freed’s Slant 


Hollywood* Feb. 4. 
Majoir studios will make only 
nine , musicals during 1958 as 
against 19 last year, in a record 
low number of tuned-up pix* 

Reason is attributed by Metro 
producer Arthur Freed: “It’s hard¬ 
er to find properties of the. stand¬ 
ard you want to make. And there 1 
hasn’t been any great new; talent 
created for musicals.” 

In breakdown of studios, 20th*; 
Fox will make two musicals out 
of 40; Metro three out of 33; Par¬ 
amount* two out of 22; Warner , 
Bros, one; Columbia Pictures* 


pig Shoot-’Em-Up 



JvUL Alllll. 

LP ami HiFi 

Edinburgh,; Feb. 4; 

Long-playing disks are among 
the: problems facing the film in¬ 
dustry today, according; to Jim 
Poole* leading indie exhiir here. 

He said, in a talk to Edinburgh 
Film Guild, that teenagers Were 
finding the coin to buy expensive 
long-playing disks, and that, in Engr 
land*. skiffle groups and coffee-bars 
with their hi-fi record-players, were 
taking a further toll of the cinema 
public. 

Oh tv, he said, the factors which 
the. cinema had principally to con¬ 
tend with were the natural lazi¬ 
ness of : the ; public, reluctance to 
leave a comfortable chair. 

“Even the price of bus. fares 
nowadays is a factor in stopping 
people from going to the cinema," 
he said. ' 


'59 FAR EAST FESTIVAL 

Kido Suggests Wise For Tanks To 
Participate 


The Americans will be invited to/ 
participate in the 1959 Far East 
Film Festival, Shirb Kido, prez of 
the Motion Picture Assn, of Japan, 
said in Gotham last week;. The 
1958 fest will be held in Manila in 
March. 

Kido reported that thought had 
been given to an international film, 
fest in Tokyo a la Cannes and 
Venice, but disclosed that the In¬ 
ternational Federation of Film 
Producer Assns. hadn’t, given its 
okay yet. 

Japanese exec, noting falling 
American grosses in Japan, sug¬ 
gested that it would be. a good idea 
to stage an American film week in 
Tokyo to stimulate interest in the; 
Hollywood releases. His company, 
ShochikU, both produces films and 
runs theatres.- 


- George Jessel, the only lifetime 
honorary member of. the. Screen 
Writers branch of the Writers 
Guild, Will be the speaker at the 
annual Writers' dinner March 12 at 
the Moulin Rouge, L.A. 


Chicago, Feb. 4. 

Maybe it’s the tv influence. 

Indie! plark Theatre, Loop-^ 
situated, is going the route* 
of the oaters for 'February, 
with seven westerns skedded 
between today (Tues.) and Feb. 
25. All seven are re-runs. 

. House, in the midst of its 
25th ahni, plays a different 
pairing each day. 


Of Loew’s Shares 


George Killion, member of the 
Loew’s board of directors, has pur¬ 
chased an additional 29,660 shares 
of the corporation’s common stock 
on the open market, bringing his 
total holdings to 30,600 shares. 

According to Wall Street sources, 
Killion had been planning to ac¬ 
quire close to 100,000 shares in lim¬ 
ited blocks over a period of" time. 
However, the trading price went up 
and this is said to. have discour¬ 
aged him. The issue hit $44 per 
share last Week, up from a low of 
$11.25. 


ALL-LIVE OSCAR CAST; 

80 CELEBS LINED'UP 

Hollywood, Feb. 4. 

Oscar telecast over NBC this 
year will be entirely live, sans 
filmed cut-ins as in previous years* 
according to Jerry Wald, producer 
of this year’s show. Barring last- 
changes that “require otherwise*’’ 
entire 90-minute program will be 
beamed live from Stage of the Pan- 
tages Theatre, March 26. For 
first time, too, there will be no 
N.Y. cut-iris. 

Approximately 80: of Hollywood’s 
top names will appear bn show, 
many of Whom never before have 
been on_ ty. Among these long 
holdouts' are Clark Gable, Mitzi 
Gaynor, Gregory Peck, Sophia 
Loren. Ingrid Bergman also has 
promised to be present for show. 
There will be six emcees. 


National Boxoffice Survey 


Trade Holds Big; ‘Peyton’ New Champ, ‘Sayonara’ 
2d, *80 Days’ 3d, ‘Yeller’ 4th, ‘Wonders’ 5th 


Trade at major key cities covered 
by Variety continues amazingly 
sturdy in current session, with 
many theatres still showing hand¬ 
some profit from pix they launched 
for" the year-end holidays. Some 
cpmmunities had severe cold*, snow-.- 
storms and rein, but biz did not 
seem to be hurt excepting in rare 
cases. 

“Peyton place” (30th) edges up 
this round to take over No. .1 spot 
by a small margin. It had. been 
second and right behind “Saydn- 
ara” (WB) for weeks. “Sayohara” 
is a close second curreritly, 

“Around World in 80 Days” (UA) 
again is landing in third, spot, with 
indications of moving higher soon. 
“Old Yeller" (BV) is up sharply 
from seventh to fourth. position, 
highest, it has been in weekly rat¬ 
ings. 

“Seven Wonders of: World" 
(Cinerama) is soaring to fifth spot 
as compared with 10th last week. 
“Raintree County” (M-G) is finish¬ 
ing sixth. “Don’t Go Near Water,” 
also from Metro, is landing seventh 
money. . 

“God Created Woman” (Kings) is 
capturing eighth position, despite 
some heavy competition.. “Search' 
For Paradise” (Cinerama) is ninth 
while “Tarnished, Angels” (U) 
round out the Top 10 list. 

“Gervaise" (Cont) and “Quiet 
American” (UA), latter a newie, are. 
the runner-up films this round ' 

“Wild Is Wind" (Par), still play¬ 
ing the same four keys, hints that 
it Will go places once, out in more 
general release'; “Farewell To 
Arms’? (20th), also new, is great in 
Chi, fair in N.Y., sock in Portland 
and .Qke r in L,A. , “Seven. Hills of 


Rome” (M-G), another newcomer* 
looms big in N.Y. jX Radio City 
Music Hall, trim in ‘Portland, good 
in Cleveland and hot in Boston. 

“Man in Shadow” (U), okay in 
Louisville, looks mild yi Denver. 
“Damn Citizen/’ from same com¬ 
pany, shapes good in Pitt and nice 
in Detroit. “Safecracker” (M-G) 
is jpoderate in K.C. “Viking Wom¬ 
en and Seal Serpent” (AI) r fat m 
Chi, is rated* good in Detroit. 

"10 Commandments” (Par) still 
is in the chips in L.A. and N.Y. 
"Razzia” (Kass), good m Frisco, is 
big in Boston. “Deep Six” (WB) is 
nice in Portland! “Teeriage Fran¬ 
kenstein” (AI) is okay in Same city. 

“Witness For Prosecution” (UA). 
Which opens at N. Y. Astor and 
Plaza this week, continues sturdy 
in L.A. “Hunchback of Notre 
Dame” (AA) is fast in K.C. 

“All At Sea” (M-G), hotsy in Bos¬ 
ton, shapes solid in Cincy. “Tall 
Stranger” (AA), good in Omaha, 
looms fancy in Chi. 

“Bridge of River KWai” (Col) 
still is smash to capacity in three 
cities where playing so far. “Ro- 
dan” (DCA), stout in Chi, is pleas¬ 
ing in K.C. 

{Complete Boxoffice Reports on 
Pages 8-9) 


New Tarzan’ at Metro 

Hollywood, Feb. 4. j 
Sol Lesser is reentering produce 
tion with “Tarzan’s Fight For Life,” 
fpr Metro release on $1,000,000 
budget. Film to star Gordon Scott. 

Ric rolls next Week under direc¬ 
tion of. Bruce Humberstone. Eva 
Brent plays opposite. 




Reshaping of the industry, via 
drastic personnel reductions, con¬ 
tinued this week. The homeofficq 
operation, mainly involved with ac¬ 
tivities of distribution, Was seri¬ 
ously affected as Warner Bros., 
Universal. and Metro lopped vet¬ 
eran staffers off ; the payroll. 

At WB and Metro, where sub¬ 
stantial cuts have already been 
made among lower-echelon staffers, 
the trimming spread to second ech¬ 
elon Executives, many of whom 
have been connected with the com* 
panies from 25 to 30 years. The 
dropping of these staffers probably 
represents the end of an era for 
the film .business. Many of the 
execs farewelied during the Iasi 
week go back to the pioneering 
days of the industry. For many, 
their only association with the film 
biz has been with the companies 
they now are leaving. 

At WB, the new swing of tht 
head-chopper fell on Friday (31). 
Handed notices were Ralph Budd. 
chief of the personnel department 
and a Warnerite for 27 years; 
Joseph Spray, print departmen! 
executive and former head of WB’i 
Ace Laboratory, in Brooklyn; N. J. 
•Fessler, a vet exec in the purchas¬ 
ing department; John Florio, boss 
of the sound department; Albert 
Howson, in charge of censorship 
activities and a veteran WB em¬ 
ployee, and H. O. Robinson, a sales 
department veteran. 

It’s now thought WB .plans to 
reduce its homeoffice staff to about 
300. At one time, the homeoffice 
operatiofi employed 1,400 people. 
It’s understood that as an addi¬ 
tional economy measure, WB plans 
to sublet the one floor (sixth) of 
its new headquarters at 666 Fifth 
Ave. The company recently moved 
into the building and contracted 
for two floors of space, There are 
indications, too, that more flesh 
will be expended. 

Metro Talent Dept. 

At Metro, the entire eastern tal¬ 
ent department was eliminated 
during the past week. Notice was 
given Al Altman, eastern talent 
chief for more than 30 years. 
Dudley Wilkinson, Altman’s aide; 
Sidney Phillips* vet head of the 
play department since the Goldwyn 
Go. days and sometime partner 
with Loew’s in its legit ventures, 
secretaries and clerks in the depart¬ 
ment were also pinkslipped. Story 
and purchasing departments are 
under the surgical scrutiny. 

At Universal, the contract de¬ 
partment was virtually eliminated 
as 20 employees were dropped on 
Friday. Also as part of its drastic 
economy moves, U may sublet an 
entire floor of its 445 Park Ave. 
headquarters. Other money-saving 
gimmicks introduced by U include 
th& elimination of the teletype ser¬ 
vice between New York and the 
Cftast and the issuance of salary 
payments on a bi-monthly basis in¬ 
stead of weekly. Previously U had 
been quietly lopping off two or 
three employees each week. 

Except for a cutdown in its pub- 
ad department, dismissals at Para¬ 
mount have been kept quiet. How¬ 
ever, the company has been slowly 
reducing its staff on a piecemeal 
basis. In addition, employees who 
leave voluntarily for various rea¬ 
sons are not being replaced. 

As far can be determined, Col¬ 
umbia, 20th-Fox and United Artists 
continue to hold the line. Em¬ 
ployees at Col and 20th, observing 
what is happening to their col¬ 
leagues, are jittery, UA’s employees 
alone perhaps are in an enviable 
position. No cuts havg been made 
and none are anticipated. As mat¬ 
ter of fact, the company, which has 
expanded into music and records, 
has been adding staffers in recent 
weeks. Vulnerable elsewhere the 
pub-ad department at U. A. appar¬ 
ently has “comfort” from on high. 


j Par Makes It 50c 

f Paramount board at a New York 
meeting Monday (3) declared the 
regular quarterly dividend of 50c 
per share on the common stock. 

It’s payable March 14 to stock¬ 
holders of record on Feb. 28. 






PICTURES 




' Wednesday, February 5, 195# 


Indie Producers WiDBe Sorry 
If Majors Fold’—Otto Preminger 


Sayonara,’ ‘Peyton’ Beat 
Jinx of 7-Wk. St Paul 


J ' Los Angeles, Feb. 4. 

Washington, Feb.-4. ,+ . -—-*-—— National Theatres Inc. took a 

The greatest catastrophe that . y n , sharp, downward dip for 13 weeks 

could happen to the wotion mure ^ayCDara, 1^1011 Beat', ended Dec. 24,: 1957, first quarter 
industry would he _ liquidation of D .** hain , 1958 fiscal a exy 

g* Jinx ef 7-Wk. St Paul Elmbr C. Rhoden reveals. Consoli- 

of independent producer JOtto - dated net income for Outfit and its 

Preminger. Strike of NeWSDIDerS^ voting,dohtrolled siibsids, including 

fold would be rough on the indie OUUM Vl gaih? ^ rpm di ^ ositi o ri pf rea l es- 

producers, he warned. St. Paul* Feb- 4. tate, .arniounted to $65,401, or two 

He deplored sneering, attacks on The strike against them having cents per share on the 2,699,486 
the majors by independents, and been settled, the two Bidder- shares of common stock outstand- 
thought such attacks hurt entire owned newspapers, the Dispatch jpg . 

industry. and Pioneer Press, are resuming ,> combared with ■ S572 913 

“I‘ want to .he part of a big in- publication this week after, having or F g£ p 6 ? sh P ar e, d for corlelpond’ 
dustry, not just one of a lot of been closed down forseven weeks, jug. « d arter of last year. Of these 
small, independents. We heed the t ?h a £d k im h f?n 1 ,r wppW amounts, Rhoden said, earnings de¬ 
big studios. We need them to pro- ara ^ rived from sale of real estate, less 

vide a steady flow of pictures for W,*™!applicable Federal income taxes, 
the theatres. We need them to -S;? rfnri?* $179,000, equal to 6 c per 

maintain the expensive studios and thaL during their entire engage- shate> f 0r 1957 period, as against 
an adequate supply of technicians ments^ the city's- regular, dailies $ 140000 equivalent to 5 c per share, 
and their knowhow.” for Similar 1956 period. 


__ Both pictures racked up muchj * 0T Wjiar 1956^period. 

longer than - expected runs and In a letter , to stockholders, Rho-[ 
*1 1 *1 • f) theirgrossesfarexceeded. expec- denreported the drop from pre- 

H VTIiniflATI IIVIIHT f tations and-were much larger than yi?us year s first quarter was attrib- 
LA1UU1UU11.1/jf 1111 • normal in relation td the Mihne- litable to *a . decrease in attendance. 

• ** a polis grosses for the same.attrac- However, he added. At Christmas 

H 1 IT TV 1 tions,- according to Charles . Win- a number of important motion’pic- 

nflnlc NoUDI* Han chell, president-general manager tures were released,, and as A 

IVilllOa llC V Cl IiaU of the local theatres in which the result our grosses improved to the 

* pictures played; previous year’s level. It is hoped 

mm T - Minneapolis grosses practically that,-; with better attractions now 

IVInrfi I AIUT Kline always far outdistance those of St. available, the. current quarter will 
-IVlUlC LlVllg Hullo Paul in the 'Paramount theatres be comparable to that of a year 
** and the chain head always figures 

Minneapolis, Feb. 4. as “normal” for this city ascertain Gross income from theatre ad- 

Industrv optimists here_and percentage of the other twin’s take, missions and other sources amount- 

„ fill -• . Tt ^ e percentage in the case of the ed to $11,961,910 for first quarter 

there still are a. few arepointing a f oreme ntioned pictures washigh- period ended Dec. 24, according 
out that when in. some quarters er, says WincheU. to Rhoden, as against . $14,848,105 

exhibition’s future is believed fo be ' ~ - ’ for corresponding 13 weeks of last 

in peril "there never before has V ‘ • *1 1 * year L 

been nearly a time locally in all rOVAfllF rfflTllAfYAfl , Rhoden reported that many fac- 

'iSs.'sssrssss M ct = rar o fl y r nviiegea 

P g , .1 «... _ Among these, he said, were the 

u s * “Itaoeohsly. V ilrn I/» Asian flu epidemic, more acute 

And, paradoxically perhaps or ljl||0 I, ifllCISIIl IV I shortage; of outstanding films and a 
having significance as an answer Vl ,UVIWIII J greater impact from television as 

to current calamity howKng and the _ - a result of major studios making 

just-revealed Sindlinger dire fore- P7 fl £ • 0 ld films available. 

SnnewUW U6I6I1S6 FCC is expected shortly to take 

that since-the new year s advent wv action on National Theatre^ annlu 

the amount of money spent here . . tranefor «* 

oh moviegoing has set by far a new Washington, Feb. 4, . 9,att^/ hLswAa?tv an*vml v 

alltime high for any period of simi- The future of a good portioh of 1 

lar length" the art of parody hangs on a. de- ^ 


Mpls. Never Had 
More Long Runs 


Minneapolis, Feb. 4. 


for corresponding 13 weeks of last 
in peril "there never before has] • «« 1 p ear - 

been nearly a time locally in all rOVAfllF rfflTllAfYAfl , Rhoden reported that many fac- 

'iSs.'sssrssss M ct = rar o fl y ^nvuegefl 

P g , .1 «... _ Among these, he said, were the 

U « S j “Itaohonsly. V ilrn Pvstf/siAfM L ‘ Asian flu epidemic, more acute 

And, paradoxically perhaps or J.1I10 l,r||||*|j|J|| 1% : shortage of outstanding films and a 
having significance as an answer Vl ,UVIWIII J greater impact from television as 

to current calamity howKng and the _ - a result of major studios making 

just-revealed Sindlinger dire fore- P7 fl £ • 0 ld films available. 

new vBO UClCHSO FCC is expected shortly to take 
that since -the new year s advent wv action ori National Theatre^ aonlu 

the amount of money spent here . . t ■ _ cf „_ f _ 

oh moviegoing has set by far a new Washington, Feb. 4, . S ^ ® f ,.-| 

alltime high for any period of simi- The future of a good portioh of 1 

lar length; the art of parody hangs on a. de- ™dio,: xe- 

rp, . .. 4 . 4 . 1 v u cision which the U S SuPremp cently contracted, Rhoden stated. 

The spending total has been. must makVwitMn the nSt ^ also said that NT is continuing 
heiped to zoom oecause^two movies ^° w week sL_how fa^ ^ a v P a rndv t0 make "diligent efforts’’ to dis¬ 
have $2.65 tops, another a | 2 ? 5 and burlesque go in satirizhigfilm? P°se of non-profitable theatres and 

S M 

Instead of the usual 90c after 5 S ^f^?r copy ^ , f ht ,- ow ?«f s? 1 . . - 

p. m/ There never before here ™ 51 "NtGOTIATE OR DIE' 

have been nearly so many advanced 1 ■ "^h Court for ___ 

Even in the neighborhoods rec- ^he caseJ^on appeal by ilenny Hollywood, Feb. 4.„ 

j 3king long runs are being and CBS from decisions for MGM Screen' Producers Guild is faced 
chalked up simultaneously giving in both the IT. S. District Court with a choice of developing into a 
further emphasis to the amazing and U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals, bargaining power or. folding, de¬ 
local extent of the moviegoing MGM; won an injunction in 1953, dares SPG member producer Stan- 
fu 5 s P® ndu J g -. /r Fo ^ example, bcirring CBS from airing on tv l®y Rubin, who 'emphasizes the 
the British How to Murder a Rich “Autolight,” a filmed parody of guild must take action to see that 
Uncle is ^ going into its seventh the melodrama. “Gaslight” in producers will get a chunk of any 
week and the German^08/15 into . which Ingrid Bergman, Charles post-1948 theatrical films going to 
their seventh and fifth weeks, ^re- Boyer and Joseph Cotten starred, tv as well is residuals in telepix. 

' here they e having thelr the same category as literary crit- er, otherwise it will degenerate 
f; _ . 44C . , r J icism m which writers are permit- into a. social club,” said the for- 

Downtown - Seven Wonders , of ted to* quote a great deal more of mer RKO and 20th-Fox producer 
the World” is in its 78th week; the original material than would now i producer at TCF-TV the 
“Around the World in 80 DafS,” its otherwise be permitted. 20 th tv subsid. ’ 

30th; “Peyton Place” and “Don’t ^_ , 

Go Near the Water,” their sixth; ~ ■ 

“Sayonara” and “Aiid God Created LI TL... D* A 1 f> lf 

oid yei *“And then de bets Better 


—And Then Biz Gets Better 


“Les Girls” since the year’s turn 
.finished a very successful eight- 
week run and'“Legend of the Lost” 
just turned in a four-stanza engage¬ 
ment. 

“I’ve never known a time when 
the public here has had such a 
voracious appetite for motion pic¬ 
tures,” asserts Charles Wincheli, 
Minnesota Amusement Co. ( United 
Paramount circuit) president-gen¬ 
eral manager. 

American-International 
Ducks Legion Setup 

National Legion of Decency, 
through an official in the national 
headquarters at New 1 York, has 
charged that American-Interna¬ 
tional “has not provided the agency 
with prints of some films prior to 
their release despite repeated re¬ 
quests,” per. story appearing, in 
Catholic papers. 

Reference is to “thrill movies,” 
with titros like, “I -Was a Teenage 
Frankenstein” “Motorcycle Gang” 
and '‘Sorority Girl.” 


Picture business throughout most of the United States has taken 
a firmer tone. Responsible sources in distribution this week re¬ 
lated that a rise became noticeable at around Jan. 15 and has been 
maintained since. 

Upped income is limited to about a. dozen productions and, of 
course, hasn’t reached any overwhelming proportions. But none¬ 
theless any kind of increase at all is heartening and the (current 
upbeat is particularly so since actually a falloff is anticipated fol¬ 
lowing the year-end holidays. 

Current boxoffice situation has a peculiar twist. It’s found that 
the first, and second weeks of a film’s key-city run may not com¬ 
pare well with a previous picture which had been figured to match 
it in values. However, the later weeks of the engagement are 
picking up to higher levels : than achieved with the comparable 
picture in corresponding periods. 

Drawing .good money; currently are “Bridge on the RiveT KWai” 
id most areas,: “Peyton Place” throughout the country, “Farewell 
to Arms” except for a couple of soft, spots, “Legend of the Lost” 
(fair enough), “Witness for the Prosecution” (which builds as the 
run is extended), “Sayonara” (plenty strong all. over) and “Old 
Yeller.” Last named, a Disney entry, is doing remarkably well. 

These w r ere the new releases most prominently mentioned by 
sales execs. Also given a verbal play, were “Rairitrce County,” 
which is proving itself a better contender (meaning, not such an 
ecnomic disaster) as had been anticipated in some: quarters, and 
the still-going on “Around the World in 80 Days” and “Ten Coni-** 
mandments.” ^ 

Business checkup with sales execs brought the opinion, from one 
distributioh v.p. that the competitive effects of back-number ma- 
feriat featuires on television; has been a matter much .overplayed 
in the industry of late. 


Ry FRED HIFT 

Italy’s Gina Lollobrigida blew into town last week to help 
- exploit “Beautiful But Dangerous” and declared herself a free 
woman, under contract to no one. She was immediately contra¬ 
dicted by a. representative of Howard Hughes who said the Italian 
star was definitely, under contract to Hughes and that the option 
for her future services was up' to Hughes. 

In fact, “Beautiful But Dangerous” is Owned by the former RKO 
boss for the U. S., where it’s distributed by 2Uth-Fox. According 
:to Maleno Malenoiti, the producer of the film,. Hughes has no 
financial interest in it.. , 

The Hughes rep, who was conspicuously present when Miss Lollo- 
brigida met the press, said not only was the Italian star under con¬ 
tract, but Hughes planned to .discuss-other pictures with her 
when she reached the Coast. 

As far as Miss Loliobrigida was concerned, she was set to make 
only one picture, “Solomon and. Sheba,” which King Vidor will. 
direct in July. She’ll coproduce with Edward Small and Arthur 
Hornblow. 

“Beautiful But Dangerous” was due to open in Boston early in 
1957 but was pulled.at the last moment when it turned out that the 
picture couldn’t get a Code seal. Difficulty has now been elim¬ 
inated yia.,the trimming of a love scene. 

Why is there a crisis in the Italian film biz? ‘‘It’s mostly a crisis 
of men and ideas,” said Miss Lollobrigida. ' Also,' the public has 
become more difficult to please. 

As for the general press, it showed the most interest in a Paris 
comment that Miss Lollobrigida’s bosom is “too much and is badly 
displayed.” Answered Miss Lollobrigida, smoothing down her al¬ 
ready tightfitting woolen dress (with a high neck): “It doesn’t- 
matter!” _ _ . . _ ~ ' _ 

More Partner and Pal Than Slave, 
Sidney Phillips From M-G to Legit 

- —— - ■ - : -Elimination of the talent team 

niimv mprn CDfiMCADC in Laew's New York office includes 
JlNULMuCK JlUlljUlld Sidney Phiffips, head of play pro- 
CliffAilC’ DI7 niuri C duction and probably the only ex- 
jllYlUrij D\L I ANtiLiJ ecutive of his kind in the picture 
TO .., .. j„ c i TO » e 4 -u« lia -v 1 t c biz. Technically, Phillips, was not 

With the an employe, but worked on a draw- 

focuseri on business build ng ■ 1 ^ a ing account against Broadway 

& Co P bus!ness analvsts speefal- stage plays of Ms selection on 
& Co., busmess analysts speciai expected he would be 

izing in film problems, has organ- » Dartners .. with J Metro 
ized a new motion picture division pa J ner t ^ un ^ t 

which will have as its purpose the u Though departing the Metro 
holding of ticket-selling workshops home office March 1 (he long oc- 
on a local level throughout the cupied Louis B Mayer’s in-town 
country. Heading the new division office known in the trade as the 
as a vice president will be M L. niusic room hqcause It included a 
“Mike” Simons, former exhibitor P» a no to sodth Mayer), Phillips still 
relations director for Metro. has one more possible legit co- 

The idea for the ticket selling production deal t pending with 
workshop stems from a similar pro- Motro. He put up $2,500 legit ad- 
gram conducted during 1954-55 by Vance and $5,000 film option 
Metro under Simons’ direction. (Metro coin) for a play to he writ- 
The program, as conceived by the ten by Edward Chodrov (still un- 
Sindlinger organization, would con- finished and untitled) some, months 
sist of holding all-day meetings in ago. 

each exchange center. At these Phillips and Metro were asso T 
sessions, industry trends will Re ciated in “Teahouse of the. August 
presented as gathered.by the Sind- Moon,” “Tender Trap” and “Com- 
linger interview service. Main ob- mand Decision,” among others, 
jective of the sessions, however, Phillips on his own has been in- 
Will be specific diseussions and vestbr or producer in-a variety of 
plans on how to. sell tickets and other works[ including “Seven 
get audiences back to the theatres. Year Itch,” “No Time for Serr 
Various experts from various fields geants,” “My Three Angels” and 
of promotion will address exhibi- “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.” 
tors. He’s currently invested in the. in- 

Stanley Tishk, client, supervisor coming; Leland Hayward produc- 
of Sindlinger’s weekly theatre ser- tion of Norman Krasna’s “Who’s 
vice, will assist Simons in the pro- That Lady I Saw You With.” 
gram. Simons will join Walter V. originally a single In. vaudeville 
Marxmeyer Jr. ffi-the Sindlinger rhe pi aye dL B.-F. Keith’s Palace in 
office just opened In New York. 1914)f p h im ps was i at er a vaude 

^ : : 1 ' agent handling dramatic sketches 

CUTS CLARK SERVICE j with A1 Lewis. He jumped into 
—_— talking pictures early aiid agented 

Buena Vista Handles Own Billing such personages as Edward G. 

In Philadelphia Robirisoni Jeanne Eagels, P. G. 

-— Wodehouse, El Brendel, Barry 

Philadelphia, Feb. 4. Connors and the late Ring Lardrier. 

Buena Vista’s district offices are Phillips joined Metro 25 years 
now handling its own' billing and ago, always refused bids to move to 
collections of film rentals, in Phil- the studio and says, “I had a lot 
ly and Washington. Clark Film of fun with Leo the Lion.” 

Service is no longer acting as agent p hi m ps win continue his inter- 
fpr the d^tributing company est ^ legit . production, but will 

The servicing of pnirts will con* ma fc e an early scram this spring to 
tinue through Clark. Film. his rural retreat at S augerties, 

--- - -- N. Y. 

Arch Levy Steps Up 

Arch Levy, youthful veteran of 
the Radio City Music Hall organi¬ 
zation, this week moved up to the 
boxoffice treasurer, position. He 
takes the place long held by Ar¬ 
thur. Clary, who retired under age 
stipulations at the Hall.. 

Fred Kellers moves up to Levy J s 
former post. 

N. Y. to Europe 

Americo Aboaf 
Clair Bloom 
Sandra Dee 
Mike Kaplan 
John O’Hare . 

Ted Richmond 
Miiko Taka | 

Roy Thomson; 

William Wyler 
Sam Zimbalist. 

Europe to N. Y. 

Roger L. Stevens 


L. A. to N. Y. 

George Axelrod; 

Tokuho Aztiina 
Samuel Bronston 
Linda Darnell . 

Sumner Locke Elliot 
Alan Jay Lemer 
Robin Anne Levinson 
Regina Lindenbaum 
AnatOle Litvak 
Frederick Lpewe 
Kenneth MacKenna 
Patricia Neal 
John Saxon 
Sylvia . Sidney 

N. Y. to L. A. 

Geraldine Brooks 
Bob Hope 
,R. R. Kaufman 
Rouben Mamoulian 
Grocho Marx — 

Arthur; Penn 
Lester “Welch 




Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


MSssiEff 


nCTDIES 



2d Prombe of TV Protection 


Circuit owner Walter Reade Jr. in his alter ego as a film dis¬ 
tributor has lined up with 20th Century-Fox in promising theatres 
a minimal five-year clearance protection against any selloff to 
-television syndication. 

Reade controls Continental Distributing Co.: which handles an 
array of foreign features. 



London, Feb. 4. 4 

With acceptance by the Kinemato- 
graph Renters Society here yester- j 
day (Mon.), the entire British film 
industry has now adopted a plan to < 
control the release of theatrical 
productions, on television. 

Scheme provides for a levy to be 
charged theatres which gross a 
minimum of $560 weely. This tax 
is to be taken before the amount 
of film rental paid the distributors 
is computed.. It's expected to 
yield a an industry fund of $1,500,- 
000 to $2,000,000 annually and will 
be used to reimburse producers 
who otherwise would unload their 
pictures, to tv. 

American film companies re¬ 
portedly have okayed the plan and 
further agreed to exclude ;the 
United Kingdom territory from 
future contracts for sale of their 
back-number features, to tv inter¬ 
ests. 

Scheme' can’t halt the tv’ing of 
product already disposed of by the 
producers but is aimed to prevent 
future deals. Any. producer violate 
ing the pact will face a total boy¬ 
cott by the' Cinematograph Ex¬ 
hibitors Assn, of Great Britain and 
Ireland. 


U’s Amortization Rate 

Universal amortizes its fea¬ 
ture productions over a 60- 
week period, according to the 
company’s financial report. 

The company writes off 48% 
after 13 Weeks of release, 
78.25% after 26 weeks, 90.25% 
after 39 weeks, 97% after 52 
weeks, and 100% after 60 
weeks. 


TV Rent Via Col 


Hollywood, Feb. 4., 
There is no .contemplation by 
Loew’s, according to prexy Joseph 
•R. Vogel, to release to tele any of 
the company’s. post-’48 pictures. 
Quite the contrary, says Vogel, he’d 
like to see everything done to keep 
the post-’48 libraries from going to 
the electronic competition. 

Like mahy others in the trade, 
Vogel sees the sale or lease to tv 
of the later films as being ruinous 
to the motion picture boxoffice. 


During its 1957 fiscal period, 
Universal included television in¬ 
come of $692,000 as part of the 
company’s earnings. This sum was 
realized from the rental of the 
video syndication via Screen Gems, 
Columbia’s subsidiary. 

Under the terms of the agree¬ 
ment with Screen Gems, which Col 
has guaranteed. U receiyes an An¬ 
nual minimum income of $2,000,000 
for the first year and $3,000,000 
for the ensuing six years of the 
seven-year deal which ends 
June 30; 1964, for a total of 
$ 20 , 000 , 000 . 

According to the company, a pro 
rata share of the annual minimum 
tv income is taken into operations 
each monthly accounting period. 
The $692,000 which U received and 
is entered in its financial report, 
represents tv income from July 1, 
1957, when the deal with Screen 
Gems was set; to Nov. 2, 1957, end 
of the company’s 1957 fiscal period. 


Ul ECHELON'S WAGES 


Rackmil $125,000—DafT $105,000— 
Blumberg $78,000 


Claude Heilman, Producer 


Top-echelon executives of Uni¬ 
versal received total remuneration 
of $878,210 for the 1957 fiscal year, 
according to-the company’s proxy 
statement for the annual stock¬ 
holders’ meeting on March 12. 

Heading the list is prexy Milton 
R. Rackmil with $125,000. Alfred 
E. Daff, executive vp., is down for 
$105,000. Others salaries are: Nate 
Blumberg, chairman of the hoard, 
$78,000; John J. O’Connor, v.p., 
$57,200, and Edward Muhl,. v.p. 
and studio chief, $104,000. 

Employments agreements of 
Blumberg, dated Jujy 15, 1952, 
and as amended Sept. 14,1955, and 
of Rackmil, dated May 1, 1956, pro¬ 
vide that in the case of incapacitat* 
ingi illness of six consecutive 
months, the company may termi¬ 
nate the employment, in Which case 
Blumberg will continue to receive 
two-thirds of his salary and Rack- 
mil may elect to serve in an ad¬ 
visory capacity at :one-half his sal¬ 
ary. Blumberg’s agreement ends 
Dec* 31. 1960, and Rackmil’s April 
28, 1936. 

All the officers listed also par¬ 
ticipate in the company’s group in¬ 
surance under a plan covering all 
employees of the company. Ap : 
proximately 50% of the premium 
of the life insurance policy in the 
face of amount of $75,000 is borne 
by the company. In no case, how¬ 
ever, does the contribution of the 
company on behalf of any one offi- 
or director exceed $500. 


Hollywood, Feb. 4. 

Claude Heilman, onetime as¬ 
sistant manager., of the Chinese 
Theatre here and later associated 
with j. Arthur Rank, has set up 
Vintage Productions to make "‘This 
Earth Is Mine” with a budget of 
$3,006,000: It will be made 
Todd-AO and Technicolor for road¬ 
show release in March, 1959, with 
general release to follow the next 
year. 

„ Film will be co-produced by 
Casey Robinson who has written 
the screenplay from Alice Tisdale 
Hobart’s novel “The Cup and the 
Sword,” » 


Calculated “leak’’ to the lay 
press of a Sindlinger survey 
gloomily spelling out the c-a-t-a-s- 
t-r-o-p-h-e of Hollywood’s selloff 
of pre-1948 “old” films iriay have 
been a major-jolt, and/or lesson, 
to the studios. The question is: 
were the bankers equally reached? 

The data, as played up, presum¬ 
ably removes all remaining doubt 
that the film industry is cannibaliz¬ 
ing itself, the “old” films eating 
the “new” films alive. For the. 
studios; or the bankers, to flood 
television with additional hundreds 
and thousands of recent releases 
would be, it Is now dramatically 
clear, an open slap in the face to 
the protests of> exhibitors and cir¬ 
cuits and a sneer at the counsel, of 
showmen generally- 

A selloff to syndicators of post-. 
1948 product would be “liquida¬ 
tion’’ in its most disturbing, form. 
So think many trade observers. 
Moreover it would value the dollars 
paid by syndicates as more trust¬ 
worthy, more certain than the 
dollars possible via theatre re¬ 
issue of the very, same films. 

This point, made some issues 
back by Variety ; s germane to: 
the whole. rationale of dumping 
residual rights: the absolute top 
yield of tv syndication playoff to 
the distribuitor-originator is $100,- 
000 , and many negatives fall far 
short, of that, where?" theatrical 
reissues often. : too $250,000 in 
“found” new rental money. In 
one current instance the take will 
be close to $800,000. namely “Reap 
The Wild Wind” (Paramount). 

“Suicide” Fear ~ 

Financial Then in Manhattan have 
remarked that' in-trade protests 
against the. original (ore-48 prod¬ 
uct) disposals to video were only 
mildly and sporadically articulated. 
But at present the clamor is 
unmistakable, the issue sharply 
drawn. The words “suicide” and 
“choking” have been underlined. 
If is no longer possible to be blithe 
about the situation pr jolly that tv 
provides a lump sum bonanza. The 
cost of the so-called bonanza is 
now recognized as dubious fortune. 

Any 1958 pressure to sell the 
relatively new pictures—soecifiical- 
ly. those made after 1948—might 
now predictably damage the dis- 
tribs themselves, along with the 
entire industry. The Sindlinger 
report stated emphatically, that 
everyone .connected with the busi¬ 
ness would lose—indeed, a sub¬ 
stantial part of American theatrical 
exhibition would evaporate—if the 
at home public is offered the. 
“modern” films on tv for free. 

It’s in the light of this that 
stockholders' along with important 
bank investors, so long as they 
have the best Interests of the film 
corporations in mind; must refrain 
from any agitation for “new” pic¬ 
ture divestitures to tv. . .. 

Exec insiders, who are particu¬ 
larly privy to Wall. Street , maneu¬ 
vering, state . that the bankers who 
have, become so;prominent in the 
(Continued on pbge 16) 


Tomlinsons Big If: With Potent 


Film Colleagues He Might Have 
Secured Control; Loews Heeds Him 


U*s Credit at 4 1 / 2 % 

Universal entered a new 
credit-agreement in 1957 and 
borrowed $10,000,000. This 
agreement, which replaced, a 
1955 deal, calls for U to pay 
4Vfc% interest and a service 
charge of Va% per annum on 
the $l6,000,00frloan, borrowed 
from t)ie First National Bank 
of Boston and the Guaranty 
Trust Co. of N. Y. 

The loan is repayable in 16 
quarterly installments of 
$390,625 e a C*, beginning 
March 15, 1959, und $3,750,000 
on March 15, 1963, 



Despite the halt in production 
and the uncertainty over the com¬ 
pany’s future, Universal ragged up 
net earnings'of $2,843,833, equal to 
$2.83 per share, for the fiscal year 
ended Nov. 2, 1957. For the pre¬ 
ceding year, the net earnings were 
$3,993,146, equivalent to $4.06 per 
share. 

Film rentals and sales for the 1957 
fiscal period, according to the an¬ 
nual report sent stockholders this 
week, were $72,44i,757 as com¬ 
pared with $77,609,698 for the 
previous fiscal stanza. A total of 
$3,000,000 was set aside-for Fed¬ 
eral income taxes for the most re¬ 
cent period as against $2,880,000 
for 1956. 

Despite the decrease in earnings,, 
the book-value of the company’s 
common stock was listed at $29 
per share for 1957 as compared 
with $27.04 for 1956. The com¬ 
pany’s net working capital for 1957 
was $36,414,000 as compared with 
£30,633,000 for 1956, Total cost of 
pictures completed hut not re¬ 
leased was listed at $9,703,583, In 
the previous year, the total was 
$4,794,880 at the end of the fiscal 
year. 

In his statement to stockholders, 
prexy Milton R. Rackmil notes that 
several of the company’s releases 
met with wide public acceptance 
“which is reflected: in the gross 
Warnings derived in the domestic 
market.” At the same time, he 
points but that U, as well as the 
other film companies, faced a re¬ 
duction in b.o. receipts and a con¬ 
sequent reduction in film rentals 
from the domestic market. He 
stressed, that the anticipated up¬ 
beat in the summer months did not 
materialize and that this condi¬ 
tion is reflected in the earnings. 

Only reference made by Rackmil 
to the drastic cutback at U is in 
the statement that “business con¬ 
ditions in the industry make neces- 
(Continued on page 77) 


By HY HOLLINGER 

Loew’s distribution operation, 
which has been costing the com¬ 
pany approximately $25,000,000 
annually, has been brought down 
to slightly less than $20,000,000. 
At present, the company is aiming 
to reduce it to $15,000,000, a sum 
that would make Loew’s operation 
comparable to that of the other 
major film companies. ^ 

Studio operations have been re¬ 
duced some $4,000,000 annually 
and the activities of the Interna¬ 
tional company have been cut 
about $1,300,000. 

The company’s huge operating 
nut "has been attributed to the 
dynasty that has long run the com¬ 
pany. Although Joseph Tomlin¬ 
son, the Canadian industrialist who 
recently challenged the manage¬ 
ment, has frequently been pictured 
as a villain, it’s obvious enough 
that his pressure played an im¬ 
portant part in bringing about the 
economies which prwcy Joseph R. 
Vogel is introducing. Some bbr 
servers feel that if Tomlinson had 
been allied from the beginning 
with solid and respected picture 
people, he would have had no dif¬ 
ficulty in taking control of the 
company. At any rate* a number 
of the changes demanded by Tom¬ 
linson have been accepted and 
executed. In addition, it’s expect¬ 
ed that many more cost reductions 
will be made, with possibly an¬ 
other $5,000,000 to $6,000,000 be¬ 
ing lopped off annually in the stu¬ 
dio operation. 

Settlements haVe been made 
with, a substantial number of top- 
echelon high priced executives. 
This alone has saved the company 
over $1,000,000 annually. In ad¬ 
dition, members of the so-called - 
“old guard” who are remaining 
with, the company for an undeter¬ 
mined period have taken salary 
slices of as much as 50%. 

Playing a key role, in bringing 
down expenditures and cutting , ex¬ 
penses has been Robert H. 
O’Brien, the new financial v.p. who 
succeeded Charles C. Moskowitz. 
Working under the direction of 
Vogel, O’Brieh is said to have 
emerged the “strong man” in the 
trimming activity. He has made 
the suggestions on how the cuts 
could be made without impairing 
the company’s ability to operate 
successfully. 


Rackmil Resists Banker Pressure 

To Fast-Buck Liquidate Universal 


Banking groups reportedly have 
been making various propositions 
to Milton R. Rackmil, president 
of Universal, to. “liquidate” the 
company. Despite the pressure 
from the financial sources, Rack- 
mil is understood to be resisting 
the suggestions. However, so far he 
has not been: able, to come up with 
A formula relating to the future 
operation of the company. 

Despite a reduction in earnings 
during the 1957 fiscal period, U’s 
financial position is still strong. As 
a matter of fact, the company ap¬ 
pears to he a lot . better off than 
many of its competitors. There, is 
no Comparison, for example,, be¬ 
tween the positions of ^dew’s and 


Universal, Yet Loew’s at least ap- i 
pears to have a'plan of operation. | 

Although U has a backlog of 32 
completed pictures, which could 
conceivably carry the company 
through 'early 1959, it’s doubted 
that these pictures are of strong 
enough calibre for Universal to 
rack up important earnings during 
1958, One or two of them, how¬ 
ever, may. click and If they do, U 
will be able to weather 1958; 

It’s stressed, however, that. U 
cannot stand pat and merely wait 
for the release of its. completed 
pictures. A plan of operation, it’s 
: felt, must be devised quickly , if 
the company intends to maintain its 
former position in the industry. 

There are reports that there has 
been a falling out among U’s top- 


echelon brass. This conflict; it’s 
said, revolves mainly about the 
type of pictures the company has 
been making in the last several 
years. By blockbuster standards, 
these have been small pictures. In 
less competitive, times, these films, 
made at budget prices, served U 
well and gave the company a profit¬ 
able operation. However, when the 
cost of these so-called routine pic¬ 
tures began to increase steadily 
and the b.o. returns began to fall, 
it represented a danger signal for 
Universal. The poor results 
achieved by U’s pictures during 
the summer months and the early 
fall apparently called for an im¬ 
mediate hialt of the company’s pro¬ 
duction activities and a reappraisal 
of its product output. 


Its British Studio 

Loew’s reportedly is weighing 
the possibility of unloading some 
of its foreign properties, including 
the MGM British studios and thea¬ 
tres in London. 

Robert H. O’Brien, the company’s 
financial v.p. who has been play¬ 
ing a key role in bolstering Loew’s 
financial status, is presently in 
London surveying the situation. 
With O’Brien in London is Charles 
Barry, in charge of the company’s 
television activities. Barry is at¬ 
tempting to peddle some of Metro’s 
telepix to British television and is 
also looking oyer the possibility 
of producing some of the com¬ 
pany’s tr series in England. 



Board of directors of Stanley 
Warner Corp. declared a dividend 
of 25c per share on the Company’s 
common stock. 

Melon is payable Feb. 25 to 
| stockholders of record Feb,. 10. 




















































Wednesday, Febrnary 5, 1958 



At time, when leaders of the industry are calling for the revital¬ 
ization of old-fashioned showmanship in. the promotion of pictures, 
the film companies are paring their field publicity staffs to the' 
bone" The permanent field man who covered a specific territory 
may be headed for extinction. * 

Except for United Artists, where Mori Krushen is operating with 
a force of 14 field representatives, the peak for the company, 
the other companies are down to a handful. Metro, which about 
three years ago had a staff of about 32; is now down to six. War¬ 
ner Bros, is operating with only five, men in the field, Columbia 
with seven, Paramount with six. Universal with four, and 20th- 
Fox with nine. 

With less pictures to publicize; the film companies apparently 
feel there is no longer a need to retain an expensive permanent 
staff throughout the country to bally routine pictures! For the 
blockbusters and special films, the majority of the companies, 
"usually hire freelancers to hit the road. These: specialists are 
readily available and most of them shift from company tp com¬ 
pany as a new, big picture is ready for release, During the recent 
economy wave, almost all of the companies have made drastic 
cuts in their field representatives; __~ 


Average Theatre Operator'So-Whaf 



staffs by several film companies 
has been greeted with only indif¬ 
ference by many exhibitors. . Bat¬ 
ter explain that the bally, mer¬ 
chants concerned themselves only 
With “big Openings" and their ef¬ 
forts could hardly produce results 
for the subsequent runs and situa¬ 
tions in small Cities. 

This situation came to the light 
—the exhibs’ “so what?” attitude 
—when members of the bally 
fraternity, fighting the employ¬ 
ment battle .with the distributors, 
sought exhibitor support, 

The head of an eastern circuit 
and a figure prominent in exhib 
organizational Work told the ex- 
ploiteers, frankly, they wouldn’t be 
missed. It was regrettable that in¬ 
dustry employees were being dis¬ 
missed, the field, men, were told, 
but the exhibs claimed unaware- 
ness of their work. 

This .is only one side of ‘ the 
Story, of course. Exploitation reps 
concede, of cOurse, that they 
haven’t been in immediate touch 
with exhibs except for the most 
part those in important, key-city 
situations or when i territory is 
blanketed via saturation bookings. 
However, they insist, the benefits 
of the big bally openings accrue 
to runs all down the line. 

Companies themselves are high 
on the values of field men but in 
at least a couple of cases are veer¬ 
ing to ai policy of hiring them on 
an on-and-off basis. Plan is to em¬ 
ploy full field staffs pnly When 
pictures are ready for heavy tub 
thumping rather than keeping 
them on the payroll permanently. 


Radio Program Director 
Manages Ft, Worth House 

—. Fort Worth, Feb. 4. 

William Cox, owner of the old 
Majestic Theatre here, has recenty 
completed a $10,000 renovation 
program. Improvements included 
a new curtain, new flooring,, paint¬ 
ing of the interior and exterior. 
Jack Henderson, former program 
director of KCUL, has been named 
manager of the house. 

Henderson has announced that 
he is working to book convention 
sessions as well as stage shows. 


'CONFIDENTIAL TAG 


Metro Mulls Merits of Lee 
Mortimer’s Squawk 

Metro’s legal department has 
taken Under advisement the protest 
Of N, Y. Mirror columnist Lee 
Mortimer about the use Of the title 
“High School Confidential” for an 
upcoming Albert Zugsmith pro¬ 
duction. 

In a letter to M-G, Mortimer as¬ 
serted that he would regard the 
use of such a title as an infringe¬ 
ment of his rights. He pointed 
out that he and the late Jack Lait 
had co-authored such books as 
"Chicago Confidential,” “Wash¬ 
ington Confidential” and “U.S.A. 
Confidential.’’ .... 

In addition, Mortimer noted that 
he had employed various: variations 
of the. “Confidential” title in col¬ 
umns, magazines articles and lec¬ 
tures. 


N. V. Filin Category Bill 

Albany, Feb. 4. 

New York State would be re¬ 
quired, to classify films under 
three categories,,for licensing, 
and exhibitors showing the 
features would have to. “riote” 
the classification in all adver- . 
tising, under the terms of a bill ; 
sponsored by Senator William 
T. Conklin and Assemblyman 
Luigi Ri Maraud, Kings 
County Republicans. 

Required, -if law passed,, 
would be-a tag films as suitable ; 
for: ; (a) general patronage; 

(b) adults and adolescents; (c) 
adults only.”_ _ _ 

Sudiff In New Reply 
To Selheimer Points Re 
Cinerama Cites Study 

As ammunition against the. 
claims of Perry N. Selheimer, a 
Philadelphia stockbroker who is 
challenging the management in a 
proxy tiff, Milo J. Sutliff, president 
of Cinerama Productions Corp., 
cites an analysis of the : company’s 
prospects by. The Value Line, an 
investment service published by 
the Wall St 4 firm of Arnold Bern- 
hard & Co. 

Sutliff specifically counteracts 
Selheimer charge that the stock¬ 
holders’ investment-would be worth 
less “a year from now” calling at¬ 
tention to The Value Line’s state¬ 
ment that “prospects for the new 
fiscal year are perhaps the bright¬ 
est in the company’s history.” 

• In a proxy solicitation to share¬ 
holders, Sutliff terms Selheimer’s 
campaign as “rule or ruin” and as¬ 
sures the investors that their stake 
in “Cinerama Productions “is not 
in ‘danger, despite the pessimistic 
predictions of Mr. Selheimer.” 

Selheimer, a director of the com¬ 
pany who has not been nominated 
for reelection at the annual-meet¬ 
ing on Tuesday (11), says his ob* 
jective is accomplish the following; 

Obtain; pre-emptive rights for 
stockholders in connection with 
940,000 shares of authorized but 
unissued stock of the company. 

Immediately file an arbitration 
suit against Stanley Warner:'for 
$10,000,000 which,.-he claims, is 
due Cinprama Productions for vari¬ 
ous reasons. 

Obtain representation on the 
board for those who actually own 
stock or represent large blocks. , 
Start payment immediately to 
stockholders (as a liquidating divi¬ 
dend) all funds received from earn¬ 
ings, recovery from suits, exchange 
of assets, etc. 

Selheimer hag not presented a 
slate of board members, but urges 
holders of a substantial number of 
shares to notify him if they wish 
to serve on the board. Selheimer 
charges .that the despite the' suc¬ 
cess of Cinerama pictures since 
1952 — during which more than 
$59,000,000 was grossed—the stock¬ 
holders have not received divi¬ 
dends "nor is there any immediate 
prospect of dividends.” 

The management, .on the. other 
hand, points out that more than 
$10,500,000 invested. in pictures 
and theatre openings has been paid 
off. 1 


tSfisUETY 


ncnrmES 


Vogel in Precedents 
(For Loew Head) Talk 
To Allied at Louisville 

Surprise speaker at the closing 
banquet at Allied States Assn.’s 
annual drive-in convention ' in 
Louisville Feb. 11-13 will be Loew’s 
prexy Joseph. R. Vogel. This is 
believed the first time that a 
Loew’s topper, with the possible 
exception of founder Marcus Loew, 
has appeared: before an exhibitor’s 
group.- • 

Ini hailing Vogel, who will speak 
on the evening of Feb. 13 at thd 
Kentucky Hotel, Allied notes that 
it “is impressed, by the quiet com¬ 
petence. with which Mr. Vogel is 
striving, not only to preserve 
Loew’s, but ‘ to restore it to its 
former eminence as a producing 
and distributing .organization.” 

Vogel’s decision to appear at the 
Allied meet also serves as an oc¬ 
casion for the exhib group to say 
some nice things about a pair of 
film company toppers, regarded as 
an unusual acknowledgement from 
usually militaht Allied. Cited are 
Vogel and 20th-Fox prexy Spyros 
Skouras, both of whose back¬ 
grounds have been in exhibition. 
Allied notes that not. all theatre- 
men who became chief executives 
of film companies remember with 
sympathy or understanding “the 
problems of theatreowners,” but 
that Allied is "proud” of Vogel and 
Skouras—“two great exhibitors 
who have reached the top .in . two 
top-notch companies arid still , re¬ 
member that they were once thea- 
tremen.” 

Skouras received his pat on the 
back for ordering the. reprint of 
“A Showman’s Guide for Better 
Business,’’ originally prepared by 
20th pub-ad v.p. Charles Einfeld 
in 1950. The exhib org found that 
it,was a “valuable, compendiup* of 
the art and practice of showman¬ 
ship,” and Allied asked 20th if it 
had any Copies available. Although 
the booklet was out of print, 20th 
agreed , to order additional copies, 
according to Allied. The booklet 
will fie distributed to exhibitors at 
the drive-in meet! 

Allied, pointing out. that dis¬ 
tribution methods, policies and 
practices need overhauling and re¬ 
appraisal, are hopeful that Vogel 
and Skouras^-because of- their 
knowledge of theatre operations 
and problems—‘will take an active 
part and not leave all exhibitor 
contacts and all decisions to sales 
managers arid the company law¬ 
yers.” 1 


Capone’s -Untouchables’ 

Hollywood, Feb. 4. 

Producer Stanley Rubin and 
Ray Stark of Associated Art¬ 
ists Productions are negotiat¬ 
ing for film rights to “The Un¬ 
touchables,” by the late Elliott 
•Ness. 

Tome tells the true story of 
the Dept, of Justice crushing 
the Al Capone gang in' Chicago 
in the years 1929-1931.. Rubin, 
and Stark are negotiating with 
executors of estate of. Ness, 
who died last year. . If negotia¬ 
tions jell, Rubin will take a 
leave of absence from TCF- 
TV, where he is a vidpix pro¬ 
ducer, to produce the film for 
AAP. 


Jr. Rhoden’s Budget TO; 
Seeks Squeeze-Box Youth 


Hollywood, Feb. 4. 

Overall production budget of 
$1,500,000 has been set by Elmer 
Rhoden Jr. for the Series Of 10 
low-budget exploitation films he’ll 
make under his imperial. Produc¬ 
tions banner. All will be shot in 
Eastman color. 

First on the slate is “Daddy-O, 
teenage story to star Sandra Giles 
and for which Rhoden is dickering 
for. accordionist Dick Contino for 
the male lead. Other films slated 
are “Teen Age Vampire,” “Johnnyl 
Sundown,” “Little Joe, the Wrang¬ 
ler,” “The Red Satellite,” “Horror 
From Space,” “Foxhole,” “The Last 
Platoon,” “Pink T-Bird/’ “Grand 
Motel,” “River Boy” and “Black 
Swamp.” Half of the films, will be 
shot here and half On location in 
Kansas City. 

Rhoden has signed Miss Giles to 
a four year contract and plans to 
develop a stable of about 15 con¬ 
tract players: 

Rhoden, who is also prexy of 
Commonwealth Theatres, disclosed 
that the chain - has acquired 21 
more theatres in the last two and 
brie-half months and now numbers 
102 houses. Business for the cir¬ 
cuit, he said, is 18% ahead of the 
previous year! 


FOX, PHILLY'S NEW OWNER 

, ~ Philadelphia/Feb. 4. 

Fox Bldg., including the Fox 
Theatre, built in 1923 by producer 
William Fox> has been sold to a 
syndicate for $1,250,000. 

: The. . 2,500-seat house,. one of 
Philly’s largest, was leased back 
to the National Theatres. 


Antitrusters Looks Like Imie-Chewer 


Although it looms: as the grand- 
daddy of all private antitrust suits 
against the distributors, the $101,- 
000,600 Skouras Theatres' action 
against most distributors and RKO 
Theatres will be enmeshed in. pre¬ 
trial maneuvers for at least another 
couple of years. This is the opinion 
of a couple of. lawyers who were 
Involved in the case this week as 
the New York Federal Court de¬ 
cided on a preliminary count con¬ 
cerning George Skouras,* head of 
the plaintiff circuit. 

Granting a motion made by the 
defendants, Judge Frederick Van 
Pelt Bryan instructed Skouras. to 
provide the answers to 422 ques¬ 
tions which the companies had sub¬ 
mitted to him. Heretofore the cir¬ 
cuit operator ref used to answer the 
queries on various grounds. 

He balked at questions, put'to 
him in the course of the defend-, 
ants’ examination which related to 
the Skouras chain and its operation 
in comparison, with independent 
theatres, claiming this was not 
relevant to the case. He refused to 
discuss the Skouras circuit’s rela¬ 
tionship with- 20th-Fox because 
20 th is not a defendant. 

Exec also didn’t want to discuss 
an ificome pooling, arrangeihent he 
had at one time with his brothers, 
Spyros ,P. Skouras;. . president of 
20th, and the late Charles P. Skou¬ 
ras, who had been head of National 
Theatres.. 

The jurist ruled relevftpcy oh all 


these counts and iristructecl Skoji- 
ras to talk tip. This he’ll presum¬ 
ably do upon further examination 
by the defendants. 

Meanwhile, attorney spokesmen 
made the point that the actual trial 
is not likely to hit the calendar 
until at least i960 because of-the 
vast amount of paper work and out- 
of-court activity still due. Many 
more motions, for example, likely 
are to be made and considered, it 
was said. One lawyer also under¬ 
lined that the “case is six years old 
now and we still haven’t made 
much progress with it.” 

Original complaint alleged that 
the Skouras circuit was denied, a 
proper crack at product in the N.Y. 
area due to a conspiracy among 
the distribs (excepting 20th) and 
the RKO and Loew’s circuits. ' 

Laew’s subsequently settled its 
end of the action and is no longer, 
a defendant. RKO circuit on the 
other hand slapped Skouras with, a 
counter-claim, demanding dismissal 
of the original suit and damages of 
$41,250,000 from both Skouras.and 
20 th, lyhich also was named a de¬ 
fendant. In this maneuver, dated 
Nov. 2, 1953, RKO alleged that it 
was the. victim of product-availabil¬ 
ity discrimination at the hands of 
Skouras and 20th. 

RKO further beefed that it had 
to surrender 35% of its interests 
in six theatres in the Bronx, N.Y., 
in order to obtain pictures from 
20 th.. 


: Independent drive-in operators 
are becoming concerned about the 
invasion of the ozoner field by the 
formerly divorced circuits. This 
is indicated by Allied States 
Assn, on the eve of. the exhibitor 
organization’s annual drive-in con¬ 
vention in Louisville. As a re¬ 
sult, it’s expected that some form 
of action protesting "the big-scale 
entry of the formerly-affiliated 
circuits will be made at the dxive- 
in meet which starts Tuesday Ul). 

Allied charges that the divorced 
circuits and the Government rep¬ 
resent the indie operator’s “ad¬ 
versary” in cases involving appli¬ 
cations for new drive-ins by the 
chains. Allied points out that the 
divorced circuits may not acquire 
additional theatres vexcept upon 
application to the U. S. District 
Court and must prove that such 
acquisitions will not unduly - re¬ 
strain trade. According to* Allied, 
the Dept, of Justice invariably 
takes the position that it has no ob¬ 
jection to the proposed acquisi¬ 
tions, Allied adds that the D. of J. 
opposes any move-by affected ex¬ 
hibitors to intervene. Exhibs, Al¬ 
lied says, are only allowed to ap¬ 
pear as amicus cUriae (friend of 
court), “but that is a hollow privi¬ 
lege/’ The subject of the Govern¬ 
ment’s position as well as' the 
chains’ entry into the drive-in field 
will be an important topic at the 
convention. In recent years, Loew’s 
National Theatres and several of 
the other divorced circuits have 
acquired drive-ins. 

Allied, which is already on rec¬ 
ord as favoring a specific clear¬ 
ance for theatres over films re¬ 
leased to tv, is expected to supplant 
this resolution, passed at its regu¬ 
lar annual convention, with one 
appealing to the film companies 
individually “to discontinue .all 
Sales to tv.” 

What Allied describes as the 
“hardy perennials — terms and 
availabilities” will again be mueh 
in evidence as a discussion topic at 
the Louisville meet. The exhib 
org points out that while current 
reports indicate a b.o. upbeat, it 
notes that these “rosy reports” are 
coming from first-run theatres in 
large cities which are showing pic¬ 
tures on roadshow or on extended 
runs. Of concern to Allied, how¬ 
ever, are the terms and availabili¬ 
ties of these pictures for the sub¬ 
sequent-run, small town and drive- 
in theatres. “Availabilities and 
terms,” Allied comments, “may 
seem old hat, hut they are fore¬ 
most in the minds of exhibitors 
struggling to save, the theatres for 
themselves and a film market for 
the distributors.” 

The exhib. group is placing a 
great deal of importance on “a 
symposium on showmanship” which 
will be presented at the conven¬ 
tion. The board of directors of 
Allied, which meets just prior to 
the convention, will weigh the Mo¬ 
tion Picture Assn, of America— 
Council of Motion Picture Organ¬ 
izations—T h e a t r e Owners of 
America’s proposed business build¬ 
ing campaign. Referring to the 
campaign as the “industry’s best 
kept secret,” Allied board chair¬ 
man Abram F. Myers says Allied’s 
board would attempt to determine 
if the industry’s drive will be of 
any value to the theatres that make 
up Allied’s membership. 

New Officers 

New officers, to be selected by 
the hoard, will be named at the 
Louisville meet. Other subjects 
scheduled for discussion include: a 
group insurance plan to be pre¬ 
sented by Ben Marcus; the increas¬ 
ing number of roadshows and spe¬ 
cially handled pictures; complaints 
about the Dept, of Justice under 
the consent decrees; an inquiry 
into the production plans of the 
film companies, especially Warner 
Bros, and Universal; the failure of 
COMPO to hold a meeting at 
which Allied representatives would 
be seated; review of the arbitra¬ 
tion negotiations; the status of 
cooperation between various in¬ 
dustry groups, and the nature of a 
report to be made to the Senate 
Select Committee on Small Busi¬ 
ness concerning Allied’s efforts to 
cany into effect the committee's 
recommendations. 

The equipment show ’at the 
drive-in meet, with 80 booths as-, 
signed to 60 manufacturers, is ex¬ 
pected to be the largest ever held 

at a drjve-ifi .meet.-. 


PICTURE GROSSES 


J^Ariett 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


Longrans Still Bolster LA.; ‘Peyton 
Leader at Smash $33,000, ‘Sayonara’ 
Hot $20,400, ‘Raintree’ 71G, 8 Spots 


Los Angeles, Feb. 4. 4- 

Extended-runs are giving- local 
first-runs a fairly rosy hue this 
round, with "Peyton Place" con¬ 
tinuing to hold the b.o. lead at 
smash $33,000, playing at the Los 
Angeles in third week and eighth 
session in three other houses. None 
of three new bills is. envincing 
mtfch strength. 

"Last Paradise”-"Man on Prowl" 
looks thin $ 11,000 in three thea¬ 
tres. "Man in Shadow" paired with 
"That Night" is rated slow $10,000 
In three locations. "Going Steady” 
and "Crash Landing” pair is dull 
$ 8,000 in two houses. 

“Sayonara” is heading for a 
hotsy $20,400 in sixth Hollywood 
Paramount round, where first five 
days of current week topped cor¬ 
responding period of' previous 
stanza. "Raintree County” hit a 
hefty $17,000 in second frame in 
two houses with six nabes bring¬ 
ing a fine $71,000 total. 

"Don't Go Near Water” shapes 
beefy $14,700 in sixth at Pantages, 
"Witness For Prosecution” is rated 
strong. $10,400 in seventh week at 
Warner Beverly. "10 Command¬ 
ments” looms good $12,500 in 15th 
frame, two sites. 

Three hard-ticket pix are hold¬ 
ing very strongly. 

Estimates for This Week 

Hlllstreet, New Fox, Ritz (RKO- 
FWC) (2,752; 965; 1,320; 90-$1.50) 
—"Man in Shadow” (U) and "That 
Night” tU). Slow $10,000. Last 
week, Hillstreet with Iris, "Long 
Haul” (Col), "Hard Man” (Col), : 
$7,800. New Fox with Downtown 
Paramount, . "Tarnished Angels” 
1U), "Flood Tide” (U), $12,700. 
Ritz, "Three Faces of Eve” ( 20 th), 
"Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison” 
(20th) (reissues), $2,400. 

Downtoam Paramount, Iris 
(ABPT-FWC) (3,300; 825; 90-$1.50) 
— “Going Steady” (Col) and 
"Crash Landing” (Col). DUU $8,000. 

Orpheum, Hollywood, Uptown 
(Metropolitan-FWC) (2,213; 756; 

1,715; 90-$1.50)—‘Last Paradise” 
(Indie) and "Man on Prowl” (UA). 
Thin $11,000. Last week, "Paths of 
Glory” (UA), . "Girl Black Stock¬ 
ings” (UA) $15,000. 

Fine Arts (FWC) (631; 90-$i.50) 
—"Quiet American” (UA) (2d wk). 
Pale $2,200. Last week, $2,700. 

State, Hawaii (UATC-G&S) <2,- 
404; 1,106; 90-$1.50) — "Raintree 
Cobnty”. (M-G) (2d wjt). Hefty 
$17,000. Last week, $23,200. 

Hollywood Paramount (F&M) 1,- 
(Contlnued onpag 6 22) 


Balto Sfows Up; ‘Water’ 

Hot $11,000,2d, 'Angels’ 
5G, ‘Peyton’ 9G in 6th 

Baltimore, Feb. 4. 

Grosses Were back to fairish this 
frame with holdovers in most 
houses. Standout is "Don’t Go 
Near Water" which \yas rated hefty 
in second week at the Hip. "Peyton 
Place” was okay in sixth frame at 
Century arid "Sayonara” was warm 
in same week at Stanley. "Tar¬ 
nished Angels” is fair in second at 
the New. "Raintree County’’ looms 
nice at the Film Centre in fifth 
round. 

Egtfmsttes for This Week 

Century (Fruchtman) (3,100; 50- 
$1.50)—"Peyton Place” (20th) ( 6 th 
Wk): Sock $9,000 after same for 
previous week 

Cinema (Schwaber) (460; 50- 
$1,25) — "God Created Woman” 
(Kings) (12th wk). Neat $3,400 
after near same last week. 

Film Centre (Rappaport) (890; 
50-$1.50)—“Raintree County” (M-G) 
(5th wk). Fine $8,600. Last week, 
$ 8 , 000 . 

Five West (Schwaber) (460; 50- 
$1.25)—“Nana” (Indie) (3d wk). 
Nice $3,800. Second was ditto. 

Hippodrome (Rappaport) (2,300; 
50-$1.25)—“Don’t Go. Near Water" 
(M-G (2d wk). Hefty $11,000 after 
$14,000 opener. 

Mayfair (Fruchtman) (1.600; 50- 
$L25)—"Flesh is Weak" (DCA) (3d 
wk). Nice $5,500 afterr $6,000 in 
second. 

New (Fruchtman) (1,600; 50- 

$1.25)—"Tarnished Angels” (U) (2d 
wk). Mild $5,000 after $10,000 
opener. 

Playhouse (Schwaber) (460; 50- 
$1.25)—“Uncle Vanya” (Indie) (2d 
wk>. Lively $4,000 after $4,200 
opener, > 

Stanley (SW) (3,200; 50-$1.50)— 
"Sayonara” (WB) ( 6 th wk). Warm 
$ 10,000 after $ 12,000 in fifth. 

Town (SW - Cinerama) (1,125; 
$1.25-$2.25) •— “Seven Wonders of 
World” (Cinerama) ( 6 th wk). Oke 
$7,500 after $8,500 in fifth. 


Estimated Total Gross 
This Week . ....... $579,500 

(Based on 27 theatres ) 

Last Y$ar : . ..$546,800 

(Based on 24 theatres) 



Pittsburgh, Feb. 4. 

Holdovers continue to dominate 
the Golden Triangle with three 
long-runs, "Sayonara” at Stanley, 
“Peyton Place” at Harris arid 
"Raintree County” at- Penn, cur¬ 
rently doing almost as well as in 
previous session. All • three will 
stick again. Only, new entry is 
"Damn Citizen” at Fulton, being 
rated just so-so. Terrific seventh 
weekend for "And God Created 
Woman” at Squirrel Hill insures at 
least another fortnight for this pic. 

Estimates for This Week 

Fulton (Shea) (1,700; 80-$1.25)— 
"Damn Citizen” (UJ. Okay notices 
but competition from clicking h.o.’s 
at other downtown spots is too 
much; so-so $4,500. Last week, 2d 
of "Tarnished Angels” (U), $4,000 
in 5 days. 

Guild (Green) (500; 85-$1.25)— 
"Escapade” (DCA) and "Panic In 
Parlor” (DCA) (3d wk). Slipping 
under $2,000 on the windup. Last 
week, $2,250. 

Harris (Harris) (2,165; 90>$L50) 
— ‘Peyton Place” (20th) (4th wk). 
Staying power is phenomenal; 
Hardly a downward, rippled. Will 
do at least great $15,000 this ses¬ 
sion as against $15,500 last week. 
May even last out the month. 

Penn (UA) (3,300; 90-$1.50)— 
‘‘Raintree County” (M-G) (3d. wk). 
Proving a pleasant , surprise, with, 
nice $15,000 shaping for week. Last 
week, $14,500; naturally stays on. 

Squirrel Hill (SW) (900; 85-$1.25) 
—“God Created Woman” ( Kin gs) 
(7th wk). Still batting but record 
after record at this nabe arter. Will 
hold to $4,000. Last week, $4,200; 

Stanley (SW) (3,800; 90-$1.50)— 
"Sayonara” (WB) (5th wk). Wal¬ 
loping weekends are the answer' 
here, and this one won’t be an ex¬ 
ception. Should have; no. trouble 
doing $17,000, amazing at this stage 
Of a run here. Last week, $19,500. 

Warner (SW-Cinerama) (1,300; 
$1.20-$2.40)—"Search for Paradise" 
(Cinerama) (17th wk). Sharp up¬ 
turn coming right out of blue to en¬ 
courage management after a gener¬ 
ally listless run so far. Solid $10,- 
000 or near. Last week, $7,500. 


'Raintree’ 20G Tops 
D.G.; 'Bonjoin^ Hot 14G 

Washington, Feb. 4. 

. Snow dealt its usual crippling 
blow to the main stem b.o; on Sat¬ 
urday, but most houses bounced 
back on Sunday. "Raintree County,” 
in move over from the Ontario, 
where it never got off ground at 
roadshow scale and schedule, is 
pacing the. town with, boffo trade 
at Columbia. "Bonjour /Tristesse” 
looms fast at the Trans-Lux. "Say- 
onara” shapes in sixth week at two 
houses. 

Estimates for This Week 

Ambassador - Metropolitan (SW> 
(1,490; 1,000; 9O-$1.50) — “Sayon¬ 
ara” (WB). ( 6 th wk). Fine $17,500. 
Last week, $19,000. 

Capitol (Loew) (3,434; 90-$1.25>— 
"Legend of. Lost” (UA) (2d wk). 
Slow $12,000 after $18,000 opener. 

Columbia (Loew) (1,154; 90- 

$1.25)—-"Raintree County” (M-G) 
(2d run). Sizzling $20,000 to top 
city and house record. Weekend 
b.o. Absolute capacity. Last-week, 
"Eighteen and Anxious” (Rep), 
$2,500 for 5 days at regular scale. 

Keith’s (RKO) (1,850; 85-$1.25)— 
"Old Yeller” (BV) (2d wk). Bright 
$13,000. Last week $17,000. 

Palace (Loew) (2,350; 90-$1.50)— 
"Peyton Place” (20th) (7th wk). 
Brisk $14,000 after $15,000 in sixth. 
Holds on. 

Plaza (T-L) (275; 90-$1.50)—"God 
Created Woman”. (Kings) (13th wk). 
Robust $5,500 for third consecutive, 
week Stays. 

Translux (T-L) (600; 90-$1.50)r- 
"Bonjour Tristesse” . (Col). Fast 
$14,000 despite mixed critical re¬ 
action. Holds. Last week, “Pal 
Joey” (Col) ( 12 th wk), $3,000. 

Uptown (SW) (1,100; $1.25-$3)^- 
“Around World” (UA) (44th wk). 
Big $10,000. Last week, $10,500. 

Warner (SW-Cinerama) (1,300; 
$1.20-$2.40)—“Search for Paradise” 
(Cinerama) (4th wk). Busy $14,000. 
Last week, $15,000. Holds. I 


W Trim $10,000, 
‘Safecracker’ tight 7G 

Kansas City, Feb. 4. 

Town continues to hold its big 
ones, and only the few newcomers 
are not so exciting. "Old Yeller” 
at Tower looks good, while "Safe¬ 
cracker” at the' Midland is very 
moderate. "Raintree County” in 
sixth week at Roxy is good enough 
to hold again. "Sayonara” is still 
good in fifth week at Paramount. 
"Peyton Place,” on moveover at 
the Fairway, still is hefty in second 
round at this spot. Snowfall Friday 
night hurt trade -that day. 

Estimates for This Week 

Fairway (Fox Midwest) (700; 90- 
$1.25) — "Peyton Place” (20th) 
(m-o.) (2d wk). Hearty $4,500. Last 
week; coupled with Uptown and 
Granada. 

Glen (Dickinson) (700; 75-90)— 
“Bob and Sally” (Indie) and "She 
Shoulda Said No” (Indie) (9th wk). 
Steady $1,000. Last week, same. 

Kimo (Dickinson) (504; 90-$1.25) 
—"How! To Murder Rich Uncle” 
(Col) ( 6 th wk). Unusually good 
$1,000. Last week, $1,200. 

Midland (Loew) (3,500; 75-90)— 
"Safecracker” (MrG) and /‘Man on 
(Continued on page 22) 



.s;‘American 
Teyton Tall 8G, 6th 


Minneapolis, Feb- 4. 

It’s again the long-repeated story 
Of holdovers still dominating the 
loop. This time fresh entries are 
limited to a pair, "Quiet Ameri¬ 
can” and "Eighteen and Anxious/’ 
neither doing smash biz. "Quiet” 
is garnering some critical acclaim. 
This constricts almost to a mini¬ 
mum, the entertainment choice of 
that considerable segment - of the 
public which already has enjbyed 
the lohgrun pix and Ualts any big 
influx downtown. 

Hard-ticket' offerings, “Seven 
Wonders of World” and “Around 
the World in 80 Days,’’ are in their 
78th and 30th weeks, respectively. 
It’s the six rounds for "Peyton 
Place” and "Don’t Go Near Water”; 
the fifth for “Sayonara” and “And 
God Created Woman” and a move- 
over for “Old Yeller:” All of these 
have been prospering mightily. 

Estimates for This Week 

Academy ‘ (Mann) (947; $1.50- 
$2.65)—"Around World” (UA) (30th 
wk). Eighth month a stone’s throw 
away. Stout $8,000. Last week; 
$8,500. 

Century (SW-Cinerama) (1,150; 
$1.75-$2.65) — “Seven Wonders” 
(Cinerama) (78th wk). Announce¬ 
ment of final weeks stirring up 
trade. Smash $11,000. Last week, 
$9,000, 

Gopher (Berger) (1,000; -85-90)— 


‘Don’t Go Near Water” (M-G) 16th 
wk). This one has been a corker 
for the Berger showhbuse and still 
is. Big $6,000. Last week, same. 

Lyric (Par) (1,000; 85-90)—"18 
and Anxious” (Rep). Tall $7,500. 
Last week, "Jamboree” (WB) and 
“Greeri-Eyed Blonde” (WB), $5,500. 

Radio City (Par) (4,100; $1.25- 
$1.50)—"Sayonara” (WB) (5th wk). 
They keep on announcing the 
“final: week” and it still hangs on. 
Happy $8,000. Last week, $9,000 in 
6 days, theatre having been rented 
for "Miracle of.Marcelino” for one 
day. . Moves over to Lyric. 

RKO Orpheum (RKO) (2,800; 75- 
90)—“Quiet American” (UA). Mod¬ 
est $6,000. Last week, "Old Yeller” 
(BV), $14,000. 

RKO Pan (RKO) (1,800; 75-90)— 
“Old Yeller” (BV) (m.o.). Here 
after a big initial Orpheum stanza, 
Potent $9,000. Last week, "Mid¬ 
night Story” (U) and "Land of Un¬ 
known.” (U), $3,500 at 65c-85c scale. 

State (Par) (2,300; $1.25-$1.50)— 
"Peyton Place” ( 20 th) ( 6 th wk). 
Public refuses to permit it to de¬ 
part. . Hefty $8,000. Last week, 
$9j000. 

Suburban World (Marin) (800; 85) 
—“08/15” (Indie) (4th wk). Virile 
$1,500. Last week, $2,000. 

World (Mann) (400; 85-$1.25)— 
"God Created Woman” (4th wk). 
Sock $6,000. Last Week, $6,100. 


Teller Smash 14G, Cincy; ‘Peyton’ 
WowlOG, 6th, ‘Sayonara Same, 5th 


Key City Gross.es 

Estimated Total Gross 

This Week __$2,691,100 

(Based on 22. cities and 247 
theatres, chiefly first runs, in¬ 
cluding N. Y.) 

Total Gross Same Week 
Last Year ....... $2,839,400 

(Based on 23 cities and 244 
theatres.)** 


Philly; ‘Dobbs’ 8G 

Philadelphia, Feb. 4. 

Saturday -snowstorm which 
brought hazardous driving is mak¬ 
ing for an offish boxbffice week 
despite Thursday and Friday 
public school holiday. "Ft. Dobbs”- 
"Green - Eyed Blonde” . c c m b o 
looks only fair at Goldirian. How¬ 
ever, most blue-chip pix are hold¬ 
ing up well. "Darby’s Rangers” 
shapes swift in second Stanley 
week. “Raintree County” is big In 
fifth Midtown stanza. "Don’t Go 
Near Water” is in a like category 
also in fifth at Arcadia. The real 
smasheroo, though, is “Peyton 
Place” in fifth at the Fox. “Bonjour 
Tristesse” still is sluggish at Mast- 
baurii although doing much better 
than forecast opening round. 

Estimates for This Week 

Arcadia (S&S) (526; 99-$1.80)— 
‘Don’t Go Near Water” (M-G) (5th 
wk). Perked to big $12,000. Last 
week, $ 11 , 200 . 

Boyd (SW-Cinerama) (1,340; 
$1.20-$2.8Q)—“Search for Paradise” 
(Cinerama) (18th wk). Solid $9,000 
or over. Last week, $9,500. 

Fox (National) ( 1 , 250 ; 65-$1.25) 
—"Peyton Place” (20thl (5th wk). 
Sock. $23,000. Last week, $25,000. 

Goldman (Goldman) '(2,500; 65- 
$1.25) —"ForJ Dobbs” (WB) and 
“Green-Eyed Blonde” (WB). Fair 
$8,000 or near. Last week, "Long 
Haul” (Col) and “Hard Man/ (Col), 
$7;000. 

Green Hill (Serena) (750; 75- 
$1.25) — (closed Sundays) — "Cast 
Dark Shadow” (Indie) (3d wk). 
Fair $2,700. Last week, $3,100. 

Mastbanm (SW) (4,370; 99-$l,49) 
— "Bonjour Tristesse” (Col) (2d 
wk). Thin $9,000. Last week, $13,- 
300, way over hopes but still mild. 

Mldtown (Goldman) (1,000; 99-, 
$1.89) — “Raintree County” (M-G) 
(5th wk). Holding at big $12,000. 
L.aSl week, $12,000.. 

Randolph (Goldman) (1,250; 65- 
$1.25)—“Sayonara” (WB) ( 6 th wk). 
Fancy $19,000. Last week, $21,000. 

Stanley (SW) (2,900; 99-$1.80)— 
‘Darby’s Rangers” (WB) (2d wk). 
Swift $12,000. Last week, $15,000. 

Stanton (SW) (1,483; 99-$1.49)— 
Old Yeller” (BV) ( 6 th wk). Bright 
$7,500. Last week, $8,500. 

Trans-Lux (T-D (500; 99-$1.80) 

“Quiet American” (UA) (2d wk). 
Slow $4,500. Last week, $6,000. 

Stndio (Goldberg) (499; 99-$1.49) 
—"Wild Oat” (Indie). Mild $3,100. 
Last week, “Sins Casanova” (Indie) 
and "Forbidden Desire’’ (Indie), 
$4,000. 

Viking (Sley) (1,000; 99-$1.49)— 
Spanish Affair” (Indie) and “Safe- 
craker” (M-G). Dim $5,000. Last 
week, reissues. 

World (Pathe) (500; 99-$1.49) —• 
“Miss Julie” (Indie) (2d wk). Lean 
$2,300. Last week, $3,300. 

‘ARMS’LOFTY $14,000, 
PORT.;‘HILLS’TRIM 8G 

Portland, Ore^ Feb. 4. 

Biz at first-runs continues in high 
gear currently after a great take 
at all spots during most of January. 
Ace newcomer is "Farewell To 
Arms," which sees a lofty session 
in Sight at the Fox. "Deep Six” is 
rated fine at Orpheum while "Sev¬ 
en Hills of Rome” shapes irim at 
Broadway. “Old Yeller” looms 
lusty at Paramount. “And God Cre¬ 
ated Woman” is pushing higher to 
sockeroo takes, day-dating two arty, 
houses: 

Estimates for This Week 

Broadway (Parker) (1,875; $1- 
$1.50)—“Seven Hills of Rome” 
(M-G) and ‘‘Affair In Havana” 
(AA). Trim $ 8 , 000 . Last week, 
"Raintree County” (M-G) (5th wk); 
$ 6 , 200 . 

fine Arts (Foster) (425; $1.25)— 
‘God Created Woman” (Kings) (2d 
wk), also Guild. Pushed to sock 
$6,000, Last Week, $5,100. 

Guild (Foster) (400; _$1.25) — 
“God Created Woman” (Kings) (2d 
(Continued on page 221 


Cincinnati, Feb. 4; 

. Old Yeller,’’ only new bill at 
Cincy first-runs, looms sock at 
Keith’s this week to top the mara¬ 
thon of holdovers which are plenty 
solid in fifth and sixth 'weeks, 
‘Peyton Place” and “Raintree 
County" are carded for seventh 
stanzas after big sixth week. “Say¬ 
onara” is likely to carry into sixth 
round at Albee. "Around World in 
80 Days” looms to take on steam in 
34th week and prolong the run ad- 
vertitod to end Feb. 12 . Hard-ticket 
"Search for Paradise” continues 
stout in ninth week. 

Estimates for This Week 
Albee (RKO) (3,100; 90-$1.50)— 
"Sayonara” (WB) (5th wk). Swell 
$ 10,000 following $ 11,000 fourth 
frame. 

Capitol (SW-Cinerarap) <1,376; 
$l.-20-$2.65)—"Search for Paradise” 
(Cinerama) (9th wk). Hefty $14- 
500, Same last week. Extra Satur¬ 
day Shows for school groups from 
Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky sold 
out to early April.: 

Grand (RKO) (1,400; 90-$1.50)— 
“Raintree County!’ (M-G) ( 6 th wk). 
Great $ 8,000 on heels of $8,500 last 
week. Holds. 

Guild (Vance) (300; 50-90)—“All 
At Sea” (M-G) ( 6 th wk). Fat $1,700. 
Last week, ditto. 

Keith’s (Shor) (1,500; 90-$ 1.25)— 
Old YelI 6 r” (BV). Sock $14,000. 
Holds on. Last week, “Hunchback 
Notre Dame” (AA), at 75-$1.25) 
scale, $7,000. 

Palace (RKO) (2,600; 90-$1.50)— 
Peyton Place” (20th) ( 6 th wk). 
Solid $10;000. Last week, $11,000. 

CffiVC 909111 

Valley (Wiethe) (1,300; $1.50- 
$2.50) — “Around World" (UA) 
(34th Wk) Picking up to big $11,- 
000 after $9,000 33d round. Run 
may be extended. 

‘Peyton’ Socko $21,000, 
Frisco; better’ Big 16G, 
‘Sayonara’ 12G in 6th 

. San Francisco, Feb. 4. 
Frisco first-runs are holding nice¬ 
ly this stanza, with “Old Yeller/* 
“Peyton Place,” “Sayonara” and 
’Don’t Go Near Water” all going 
in great style. "Deep Six”* shapes 
okay . at • the St. Francis While 
"Quiet American” , is rated mild. 
"Raintree County” now is de¬ 
scribed as a good weekend pic, be¬ 
ing in sixth session. "God Created 
Woman” and “Gervaise” shape 
dandy at the arties. 

.Estimates for This Week 
Golden Gate (RKO) (2,859; 90- 
$1.25)—“Old Yeller” (BV) and 
“Spanish Affair” (Par). Fancy 
$16,000 or over. Last Week, "Man 
In Shadow” (U) and "Doctor At 
Large” (U), $7,500. 

Fox (FWC) (4,651; $1.25-$1.50)— 
"Peyton Place” (20th) (2d wk). 
Sock $21,000. Last week, $28,500. 

Warfield (Loew) (2,6$6; 90-$1.25) 
—"Don’t Go Near Water” (M-G) 
(7th wk). Slick $8,200. Last 
week, $9,500. 

Paramount (Par) (2,646; 90-$1.25) 
—"Sayonara” (WB) ( 6 th wk). 
Great $12,000. Last week, $13,000. 

St. Franeis (Par) (1,400; 90-$1.25) 
—“Deep Six” (WB) and "Parson 
and Outlaw” (WB) (2d wk) Okay 
$8,500. Last week, $12,000. 

Orpheum (1,458; $1.75-$2.65)— 
Seven Wonders of World” (Cine¬ 
rama) (63d wk). Good $14,500. 
Last week, $13,500. 

United Artists (No. Coast) (1/207; 
90-$1.25)—"Quiet American” (UA) 
and . “Buckskin . Lady” (UA) (2d 
wk). Mild $5,500: Last week, 
$ 6 , 200 . 

Stagedoor (A-R) (440; $l.50-$2)— 
‘Raintree County* (M-G) ( 6 th wk). 
Nice $5,500. Last week, $6,000. 
Larkin (Rosener) (400; $1.50)— 
God Created Woman” (Indie) ( 6 th 
wk). . Sock $6,000. Last week, 
$7,000. 

Clay (Rosener) (400; $1.50)— 
God Created Woman” (Indie) ( 6 th 
wk).. Smash $5,000. Last week, 
$ 6 , 000 . 

Vogue (S.F. Theatres) (364; $1.25) 
s —“Pather Panchali” (Indie) ( 6 th 
wk). Okay $2,000. Last week, 
$1,500. 

Bridge (Schwarz) (396; $i:25)— 
‘Smallest Show On Earth” (Times). 
Big $6,500. Last Week, "Razzia” 
(Kass) (4th wk), $2,500. 

Coronet (United California) 
(1,250; $1.50-$3.75) — “A r o u n d 
World In 80 Days” (UA) (58th wk). 
Big $14,500, Last week, $14,000. 

Rio (Schwarz) (397; $ 1 . 10 )—“Raz¬ 
zia* (Kass) and “Red Inn” (Indie). 
Oke $1,500. Last week, "His First 
Affair” (Indie) and "On Bowery” 
(Indie) (2d wk), $1/200. 

Presidio (Hardy-Parsons) (774; 
$1.25^1.50)—“Gervaise 1 * (C o n t) 
(5th wk). Fast $4;500. Last week, 
$5,500. 






Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


Pfctiurr 


PICTURE GROSSES 


Holdovers Help Chi; diking’ Sturdy 
$11,000, 'Arms Sockeroo 44G in 2d, 
Uodaii’ Slick 24G, ‘Water 21G, 6th 


Chicago, Feb. 4. 

Sturdy holdovers should con¬ 
tinue to buttress Loop biz in cur¬ 
rent frame, although cracks are 
showing in a couple of second-week 
major spots. Action and art pix 
make up the new entries, with first 
round of “Last Bridge” at World 
reaching hotsy $5,400. “Manfish” 
and “Buckskin Lady” in first Mon¬ 
roe session shapes okay $4,200. 
Garrick's opener of "Viking Wom¬ 
an and Sea Serpent” and “As¬ 
tounding She Monster” looks fat 
$ 11 , 000 . 

“Farewell to Arms,” boff in Ori¬ 
ental opener, is softening but still 
looks great in second stanza. “Tar¬ 
nished Angels,” in second at State- 
. Lake, is rated fair. “Rodan” is 
. lively in second Woods canto^Tall 
Stranger”-“Oregon Passage” duo 
. expects a fancy Roosevelt second 
week. 

. “God Created Woman” in sixth 
at the Loop still looks sockeroo. 
“Wild is Wind” in seventh Esquire 
term shows little change from its 


Estimates Are Net 

Film gross estimates as re¬ 
ported herewith from the vari¬ 
ous key cities, are net; i.e. f 
without usual tax. Distrib¬ 
utors share on net take, when, 
playing percentage,'hence the 
estimated figures are net in¬ 
come. 

The parenthetic admission 
prices, however, as indicated, 
include the U. S. amusement 
tax. 


Teller Lush 13G, 
ftov.;‘Peyton’18G 


^ eW ^ 

substantial ta^^stui'prevan Lanza Big 150G, Teen Frankenstein 

currently although there is only " 

Ifglflii Not So Scary 23G, TarewelT 7SG. 2d 

fare ishelpiug Broad- mtW $8,000 after $T,000 In regular 

“Farewe” IfArms^/cInter' S& X^Ll^SUh St. (T r L) (550; 

"Tarnished AneSs” shares okay in being Ughtened by a surplus of $1.25-$1.65)—‘Story of Vicki” (BV) 
;SiSa” .S S! overly extended longruns. Top (2d wk). First round ended yes- 
COTnty’^ls rated fa^CT iS neu cofnef is “Seven Hills of Horne” terday (Tues.) was surprisingly big 
mS& St theBuffal“ y to hit $10.600. Last week, on second- 

^ . _*■ , big $150,000 m first session at the runs. 

Estimates for. This Week Music Hall. Naturally it is holding Mayfair (Brandt) (1,736; 79-$1.80) 
Buffalo (Loew) (3,500;- 90-$1.25> over. “Teenage Frankenstein,” the — “Beautiful But Dangerous** 

—“Raintree County” (M-G) (2d other principal newcomer, is head- (20th). Opens today (Wed.). In 

wk). Fancy $15,000. Last week* ing for a fair $23,000 opening week ahead, “Enemy Below” (20th) (6th 

$22,200. „ at the Paramount. It also stays on. Wk). was fair $9,000. Fifth wat 

Paramount (AB-PT) (3,000; 70-) Second week of “Farewell To ^ 00 * T „ 

90) — “Fort Dobbs”. (WB) and Arms” with stageshow looks to Tl ?^-W S 

“Crooked Sky” (Indie). Strong hold at fair $75,000 at the Roxy, fj:? 0 *; - -,. , ory °l {B Y ) 

$14,000. Last week, “Teenage“Bqhjour Tristesse” shapes modest 

Frankenstein” (AI). and “Blood of $25,000 or close in third round at a***!/^ (Mr?' 

Dracula” (AI), $13,000. the Capitol. X4 0OD <M “ Q) (6lh wk_4 

Center (AB-PT) (2,000; 90-$1.25) “Bridge on River Kwai” still was Palace’ (RKO) (1700' $l-$3) _ 

—.“Sayonara” (WB) (6th wk-5 capacity $34,500 in seventh frame “Bridge on River Kwai” (Col) (8th 
days). Fine $8,500. Last week, just ended at the Palace. Pic goes wk ). Seventh round ended Iasi 

$9,700. into eighth week today (Wed.) with n i g ht (Tues.) was capacity $34.50$ 

Lafayette (Basil) (3.000; 70-90)— seats selling to June 10. for 10 performances. The sixth 

“Tarnished Angels” (U) and '“Slim “Raintree County” looks to push was same for like- number of 


PrAviH»nn» Teh a Carter” (U) (2d wk). Okay $9,000 to a big $19,000 in present (7th) shows. 

rroyiaence, r co. *. ] T y ei a nnn i .ten., »k. - n .im i n $KaI 


stanza at the State/ It also is in thief Odeon (Rank) (854; $1.25-$2.75) 


okay pace. Roadshows are healthy, only new bill here but . it looms 


in 15th week at McVickers. Place” still Is sock at Majestic, sturdy $itJ,uoo. Last week, $1A5(H] 

Estimates £r This Week Albee’s “Old Yeller” looms big in Tech (SW - Cinerama) (1,200 
Chicago (B&K) (3,900; 90-$1.80) second. Third seshtof “Raintree $1.2O-$2.40)—“Search for Paradise 
—“Sayonara” (WB) (6th wkl Hefty County” at State is happy. (Cinerama) (18th wk). Mild $7,50C 


term show« little ehaUffc from “ , ‘ 7 ’ „ , Last week, $12,000. stanza at the State. It also is in the Odeon (Rank) (854; $1.25-$2.75) 

okav Dace ROadshows^ar# health v Strand s“ Quiet American is. (UA.TC) (2.900' 90-$1.25) seventh week at the Plaza where —“Henry V” (Rank). Opens today 

save for “Raintree Coiintv's ” bkav °. n ^ n ^ v hill herebut. itlooms _“Peyton Place” (20th)’(5th wk) only fair $4,700 looms for 6-day (Wed.). On two-a-day* reserved- 

£ v f 5 s 1r we 7J n A r ScViSteK y S, 0W M Se ^ n ? wee f °* f J p * ey t® n SturdW$10^^Lastwwk $12®‘ round. “Witness For Prosecution.” seat policy. Last week,‘‘Graf Spee” 

* fta? Sta -S&f l l _ at '. .Majptte. *2* ^ 'replaces at the Plaza tomorrow (Rank) (5th wk-11 days), light 

(30^00*1 RO) Albee ?^ 2H J eller u ?! m (Thurs.). “Enemy Below” was mild $"200 despite previews. “Henry 

ChKieo (B&K) (3^900, 90-$1.80). second. Third sesb of Raintree $1.2O-$2.40)—- Search f orParadise *6 non - in sixth, week at the Mav- V” was given sepcial preem last 

Mo^wvft 0n *i' a (WBV (6thwkL Hefty County” at State is happy. (Cinerama) (18th wk).. Mild $7,500. f a j r w h ere •“Beautiful But Dan- night (Tues.). * 

EsUmates for This Week Closes Feb. 18. Last, week, $8,000 ^Wimount^AB-PT) <3,665; $1- 

$1 2^Sllo)— , Wil(fls Wind” 1 (Par) Albee (RKO) (2.200; 65-80)—“Old “Paths of Glory” is heading for T ^n a |r Franken- 

(7th wk) Good $7500 Last weS Yeller” (BV) and “Gunfire at In- (wj vs y n t fairish $14,000 in final (6th) frame stem (AI) (2d wk). First session 

S7 000 Last week, dian Gap .. (Indie) (2 d w k). Big VnllAV \ntAAih at the Victoria. “Wild Is Wind” f n . de d yesterday (Tues. was onjr 

ririlrk on-ti $13,000. First week $15,500. ICIlCl ulllOOin looms modest $14,000 in current fau* $23,000. In ahead, “Tarmshed 

*‘V?ktog^^wimen^aid^efserpSt” Elmwood Snyder) ?745;^2-$2 50) UI11VVUI .. (8th) week at the Astor, with “Wit- Angels” (U) 13d wk-9 days) $23,500. 

^rlty'to'fMAI) (3d wk) no/*'Ito'S'isW) (2.200; 9g-$i.25)- JlOjWlv, 1 OfOlltO So.’suSra af <g |r“ ?^ th to w ^? 3 c ^ 1 0 W## « 

Kb? 7 ’ * ' “Peyton Place” (20th) (2d wk). . . .. ner. It is how in the 20th week. Th ® t ^ r 


$33,000. Last week, $43,000. 

Esquire. (H&E Balaban) (1,350; 
$1.25-$1.50)—“Wild Is Wind” (Par) 


Estimates for This Week 
Albee (RKO) (2.200; 65-80)—“Old 


(7th wk). Good $7,500. Last week, Yeller” (BV) and ^Gunfire at In- 
$7 000 ^ ian ^ a P (Indie) (2d wk). Big 

Garrick (B&K) (850; 90-$1.25)— A 12 ’. 006 - First week $15,500 _ _ 
“Viking Women and Sea Serpent” . Flmwood Snyder) <745; $2-$2.50 
(AD and “Astounding She Monster” 77-^ rou w^2y ld i 1 ^ 

(AI). Fat $11,000 or near. Last (1 7th . wk). Steady $7,500. Last 


Teller’Smooth 


5&JSWS SF& » **»«». 03K MtM- V1V.VW. MFiMrau 

Kn? y i ; 1 W ’ ’ ’ ‘‘Peyton Place” (20th) (2d wk). . . „^ 

rrMid rvomikoO n 200- 90 Sock $18,000 after $20,000 in first. Toronto, Feb. 4. 

ki ‘‘Nnah’^Ark” IlndieV (re- State (Loew) (3,200; 65-80)-r- Biz is generaUy good here this 

fA'nevTnd ^ipi.iana q ff ?v’' (nol) “Raintree County” (M-G) (3d wk). round, bulk of strength coming 
‘ Snpk XI fi non rist week °“Winches- Happy $10,000. Second was $13,000. from holdovers-and longruns. “Old 
* S. rS’ (in Strand National Realty) (2,200; Yeller” looms nice in three houses 

■ 65-80) — “Quiet American” (UA) while the oldie* “Modem Times,” 

ftSvSn (fioft- on ti Km and “ Saint Joan " ( UA). Slow $4,- is rated big at 693-seat Towne. 
“ri7 rr; a ted WomSn” (Kinesle^) 000. Last week, “Girl Most Likely” “Tarnished Angels” looks fine in 
(6th d wS Hrftv^lS Swelk (U) and “Escapade In Japan” (U), second Uptown session. “Saybriafa” 
in nnn ' ' y * ’ ’* ?5,000. is smash in third stanza at Im- 


■ $20,000 in first. Toronto, Feb. 4. “Gervaise” picked up to ‘ smash 

(3,200; 65-80)-r- Biz is generally good here this $8,800 in the 12th session at the ,2 £^* z2~~ A S f^f n 

” (M-G) (3d wk). roundi, bulk of strength coming Baronet while holding at great '°‘ r "Ome (M-G) and stage- 

corid was $13,000. from holdovers- and longruns. “Old $6,100 at 250-seat Fifth Avenue nnnnn S • looks . 

lal Realty) (2,200; Yeller” looms nice in three houses Cinema in third week. /“H?* 

American** (UA) while the oldie* “Modem Times,” Estimates for This Week sto«Show 

(UA). Slow $4,- is rated big at 693-seat Towne. nZ wv vieo* 6, l°° J pr 

’liH Mncf I iirplv’’ “Tflrni«hpH Ancrplc" lnnlrc fine in Astor (City Inv.) (1,300, 75-$2)— $1,304,990 grand total on run, 
e InJaDin’-fU) sec^Untow^Sion^Savo^r^ “Wild ^Wind” (Par) (Sth-finai wk). second best ever here. Alltime 
e in Japan (U), Sinara This round winding up today (Wed.) hjgh mark of $1,391,000 was reg- 

__ MriaL -D^i’t Gn NP^^W^Pr”^ Iooks to hit okay J^.OOO. Seventh istered by “Great Caruso” (M-G) 


Radio City Music Hall (Rockefel- 


$11,000. ^ 
McVickers (JL&S) (1,580; $1.25- 
$3.30)—“Raintree . County” (M-G) 


Strand National Realty) (2,200; Yeller” looms nice in three houses Cinema in third week. 

65-80) — “Quiet American** (UA) while the oldie* "Modem Times,” Estimates for This Week 

and “Saint Joan” (UA). Slow $4,- is rated big at 693-seat Towne./ 


Ste^bieto third^atL^e^s 1 “Enf was $13,000. “Witness For Prose- to 10 weeks. 
myBelow” 1 shapes fancy'in*se^ufd (UA) opens tomorrow Rivoli (UAT) (1,545; $1^5-$3.50> 

Carlton Week P V (Thure.), day-dating with Plaza. —“Around World in 80 Days” (UA) 


(15th wk). Okay $12,300. Last vnuvu vuuii yiv.vwj rirUOn Wooir " ' rinurs.;. aay-aaung wun I'laza. —/uruunu wona in ou uays vuaj 

week, $14,000. 9 n . on ) lir OOP V(L f' • ™ L Little Carnegie (L. Carnegie) (69th wk). T^ie 68th session finished 

Monroe (Indie) (1,000; 57-79)— Det! W01081) WOW ZjU. Estimates for This Week ( 550 ; $1.25-$1.80) — “Adultress” yesterday (Tues.) was capacity $37,- 

“Manfish” (UA) r “Buckskin Lady** ■* „ Carlton (Rank) (2,318; 60-$l)— (times) (4th wk). Third session (Continued on page 22) 

(UA). Okay $4,200. Last week,; ^PAvfnn’ ^WaII Sfll “Enemy Below” (20th) (2nd wk). ended Sunday (2) held at good __ 

•‘Hell Ship Mutiny” (Rep) and I Cjiyil JffCU LbUf dill Fine $9,000 or over. Last week, $8,600. Second was-$9,800. _ . ^ A . 

•‘Hell Canyon Outlaws’* (Rep), Detroit, Feb. 4, $13,000. Baronet (Reade) (430; $1.25- *WnnnArc’ flAO 

$4,200. . . Another, great Week is . in pros- Downtown, Glendale, Scarboro, $1.70)—“Gervaise" (Coht) (13th ll UmiCI o UlCdl iflLl^UvU) 

Oriental (Indie) (3 ; 400; $1.25- pect for downtowm houses. with State (Taylor) (1,054; 995; 698; 694; wk). The 12th stanza ended'Sun- w />1 _ A , II_ 1 CP 

$2)—“Farewell To Arms" (20th) strong holdovers-mainly the rea- 50-75)— “Decision Against Time” day (2) perked to smash $8,800. tlcVC., lllllS ItCp 13Ut 

(2d wk). Great $44,000. Last week, son . Fifty-eight we ek s a go . (M-G) and “Hired Gun" (M-G). So- Hth was $8,400. Now playing day- m . t w inn nr 

$59,000. “Around World in 80 Days” opened so $10,000. Last week, "Jatobbree” date with Fifth Ave. Cinema where I fiVlOIl RIOT l.lli. VHn 

Palace (SW - Cinerama) (1,434; at the United Artists and took In (WB) and “Hard Man” (Col), its now in fourth round. J ^ ^ 

$1.25-$3.40) — “Seven Wonders of $28,646 the first week. It looks $12,000. ; Capitol. (Loew) (4,820; $l-$2.50) Cleveland, Feb. 4. 

World” (Cinerama) (59th wk). Nice like that, figure will be nearly ffnllvwnnd Palace Runnvmedc “Bonjour Tristesse” (Col) (4th Main strength at boxoffice cur- 

$18,300. Last week, $18,500. equalled in this, the final session. fFP) n oftn- *1 ?Rf>- i ifi'iTn-Si)- wk). Third round ended last night rently is centered in longruns just 

Roosevelt (B&K) (1,400; 75-90)— “Seven Wonders of World” ends a (rv) Ni?p «ir nnn (Tue s-) was fair $25,000 or close, as it has been since right after 

“Tall Stranger” (AA) and “Oregon 79-week stay at Music Hall, also on Last week “Escapade in Japan’’ The second was $28,500. “Cow- first of year although some of the 


Citizen' Crisp $16,000, 
Det; ‘Woman’ Wow 23G, 
‘Peyton* SweU 22G, 5th 


(Continued on page 22) 


Detroit, Feb. 4. 

Another, great week is . in pros- 


Roosevelt (BAK) (1,400; 75-90)— “Seven. Wonders, of World” ends a “rtid Yeller” (RV) Nice $18000 
“Tall Stranger” (AA) and “Oregon 79-week stay at Music Hall, also on Last week ‘‘Escapade in Japan*’ 
Passage” (AA) (2d wk). Fancy $12,- a smash note, this week. I fL^weeK, _r.scapaqe^ m Japan 


cKono b (RKO) and “Finger of Guilt” tCol), { 

shapes tor- S14 _ 0ft0 _ 


Passage” (AA) (2d wk). Fancy $12,- a smash note, this week. ‘‘And; (rkO) and’“Finder Of Guilt” TCol) hoy” (Col) is supposed to come, in newcomers are ^strong. “Seven 
000.“ Xast week, $19,700, way over God Created Woman” shapes ter^ e 140( uj ■ ger 01 ■ > ’• next. Wonders of World” looms great m 

estimate. rific m tthrd at Tra ns-Liix Krim ^ Hyland (Rank) (1357'$1)— “How Criterion (Moss) (1,671; $1.8Qr first full Week at Palace while 

State-Lake (B&K) (2,400; 90- “Peyton Place”^‘ at, the Fox and to Mtorder 'Rich 'Uncle” (Coil (2d $».30)—“10- ^ Commandments” (Par) Seveh Hjlk of Rome” is rated 
$1.80) — “Tarnished Angels” (U) “Sayonara” at the Michigan are wk) Good $5^ (65th wk). This session looks to at State. “Peyton Place” stiU 

(2d wk) Fair $19,500r Last week, having speko fifth weeks. New- agxjAQ ■ ’ ’ reach good $30,000 for customary J®. great in sixth Hipp session. 

$21400. comer “Dai Citizen” at the Tmn«rial (FPl (3 344- 75-$l 25)— 15 performances. The 64th week Sam ^ week for ‘Sayonara” is 

Snrf (H&E Balaban) (685: $1,501 Palms looms nice in opening «s^ronara?* (WB) ($a y^/Socko -was $34*200,*ver .hopes. 

—“Admirable Crichton” (ColT (2d; round. : $24 000. L«et week $28 000. Fifth Ave. Cinema (R&B) ( 250 ; s tr°ng at Emb^sy onimtial 

(Continued on page 22) Estimates for This Week ^ International (Taylor; 557; $li— $L80)^-‘‘Geryaise” (Cent) (4th wk). ™^nd_ Don t. 9° N^ar _\Vater 

■•■v. • --- Fox (Fox-Detroit).. (5,000; $1.25- “Blue Murder at St. Trinian’s” Third frame ended yesterday sna^s oj^y m s ^ t h stanza at the 

PM I f^ce” -l^th) <5th ,(IFD). (Oth^wk), Good $3,500. Last thi. 


$21400 comer “Dai Citizen” 

Surf (H&E Balaban) (685: $1,501 [Palms looms nice in 
—“Admirable Crichton” (ColT (2d . round. : 


(Continued on page 22) 


Estimates for This. Week 


Cold Gbs I/viHe Bizi Wk).” sw-ell $ 22,000 or close. Last week, $4,000. 

. r , A , . mr aaa week, $24,700, . Loew’s (Loew) (2,098; 75-$l.25)— 

Slip fin W OkA pf" IhS OflO Michigan United Detroit) (4,000; “Don’t Go Near Water” (M-G) (3d 
JlldUUW URCtil tpil,UUU, 90 .« 1 .5 0 )i_“Sayonara” (WB) (5th wk). : Big $12,000. Last week, 
‘DjutIah’ CnnA ftf Clli v/k). Terrific $20,000. Last week, $16,000. 

.1 eyton uOOfl OU, Jlfl $ 23 ; 000 . TIvoU (FP) < 955 ; $1.75-$2.40)— 

TmiWiilP Feb 4 Palms (UD) (2,961; 90-$1.25)— “Around World in 80 Days” (UA) 

Wicket nace^at downtown^houses “Damn Citizen’/CUland “Mood (25th wk). Steady $8,500. Last 
Wicxet pace ai aowmown Iiuuscs Fine $16,000. Last week $Q nnn 


Stillman. 

'ing $6,900 in second week. Estimates for This Week 

• 75-$1.25)— Fine Arts (Davis) (468; 90-$1.80) Allen (S-W) (3,800; 90-$1.50)— 
•” (M-G) (3d —‘Gates of Pans” (Lopert) (4th “Sayonara” (WB) (6th wkh Sturdy 
Last Week, 'wk). Third week, concluded Mon- $13,000, Last week, $16,000. 

day (3) was brisk $7,900. Second Embassy (Community) (1,200; 70- 
i.75r$2A0)— was $8,300. 90) — “Naked Hills” (AA) and 

Days” (UA) Embassy (Guild) (582; 75-90)— “Across Bridge” (Rank). Strong 


“Damn Citizen”. (U) and “Flood (25th wk). Steady $8,500. Last “ G , old ^ j?P A) $6,800; Last week, “Satchmo” (UA> 

Wrcket pace at downtown houses Tide „ ( U} : Fine $16,000. Last week $9,000. (7th wk). Sixth week finished Mon- and “Black Stockings” (UA), $4,000. 

'The^e 'factors week, "Long Haul” (Col) and “Re- ToWne (Taylor) (693; $1>—“Mod- day (3) Was fancy $10,000. The Continental (Art Theatre Guild) 

. peratures_and snow These toctors ^ War b 0 w” (Col), same. erri Times” (UA) (reissue). Big fifth was $8,500. (850; $1.25) — “Devil’s General” 

»M a n ri to P Rha t ftow» a h 5 t okfv^ it' toe Madison (UD) (1.900; 90-$1,50)— $5,000. Last week, “Time Lock” 55th St. Playhouse TMoss) (300; (DCA) (2d wk). Oke $1,400. . Last 

Man to Shadow ^ “Old Yeller” (BV) (3d wk). Solid (IFD), $3,000. $1.25-$1.80) — “Bolshoi Ballet” week, $2,500. 

$16,000. Last week, $18,000. University (FP) a,233; $1.50- (Rank)' (8th .wk). Seventh round Heights Art (Art Theatre Guiid) 

beon a Psr witht^^stweek ♦ Broa d W ay-Capitol (UD) (3,500; $2.40)—“This is Cinerama” (Cine- ended last night.(Tues.) was mild (925; $1,25)—“God Created Wom- 

With God Created Woman. Pey- 9 Q. $1 2 5 )_“Viking Women and Sea rama) (15th wk). Fast $11,000, Last $4,600 or near. Sixth was $4,500. an” (Kings) (6th wk). Big $3,800. 

ton Place* good m fifth at the { i nd ie) and “Astounding week, $12,000. ' Guild (Guild) (450; $1-$1,75)— Last week, $6,000. 

ThkWeek She Monster” (Indie). Good Uptown (Loew) (2,098; 60-$ D— “SpanishAffair” (Par). Opensto- Hipp (Telem’t) (3,700; $05- 

_ Estimates for Thls Weex ^ ^ . $15 , 000 . Last week, “Flesh Is "Tarnished Angels” (U) (2d wk). day (Wed.). In ahead, “Ship Was $1.50)—“Peyton Place” (20th) (6th 

(1000^5 $L25) ^ ‘God Created (Continued'on page 22) Nice $7,000. Last week, $11,000. Loaded” (Brest) (2d wk-10 days), wk). Great $13,000. Last week, 


Woman” (Kings) (2d wk). Excellent 
$10,000, same as first week. 

Kentucky (Switow) (900; 50-85) 
—“Man In Shadow” (U) and “This 
Is Russia” (U). Oke $5,000. Last 
week, “Girl Most Likely” (U), 
$ 6 , 000 . 

Loew’s (Loew) (UA) (3,600; SO¬ 
BS)—“Quiet American” (UA) and 
"Valerie” (UA). Drab $5,500. Last 
week, “Long Haul”. (Col) and “De¬ 
cision at SunddW* (Col), $7,500. 

Mary Ann (People’s (1,000; 85- 
$1.25)—‘Sayopara” (WB) (6th wk). 
Likely oke $4,500 after 5th week’s 
$5,500. 

Rialto (Fourth Ave.) (3,000; 85- 
$1.25)—"Peyton Place” (20th) (5th 
wk). Good $8,000 after fourth 
week’s $9,500. 


After March 1st/1958 


Newsstands 


Per Copy 


Subscription 

$15 

Per Year 


See Details Page 63 


$15,000. . 

Lower Mall (Community) (500; 
60-90)—’‘Miller’s Beautiful Wife” 
(20th). Good $2,400. Last week, 
“Third Key” (Rank), $2,700. 

Ohio (Loew) (1,244; $1.25-$2.50) 
—^Around World” (UA) (34th wk). 
Good $9,000. Last week, $10,000. 

Palace (SW - Cinerama) (1,520: 
$1.25-$2.40) -— “Seven Wonders of 
World” (Cinerama). Great $21,000. 
First five days was $12,500. 

State (Loew) <3,500; 70-90)— 
“Seven Hills” (M-G). Nice $15,000. 
Last week, “Tarnished Angel” (U), 
$34,500. 

Stillman (Loew) (2,700; 90-$1.20) 
—‘‘Don’t Go Near Water” (M-G) 
(6th wk). Oke $6,000. Last week, 
$7,000. 



10 


LONDON OFFICI 

I SK M»rttn , « flict, Trafalgar Sguara 


INTERNATIONAL 


French Ministry Asks Refund of $6,000 from ‘Broken 
Date’ Ballet-—Critics and Politicians Pan It 

4—-—-—-:-—. 


Paris, Feb. 4. 

Parliamentary fuss has been 
raised with respect to some $6,000 
In government ‘‘subsidy” given to 
the producers of the new ballet, 
♦‘The Broken Date” written by 
"bestselling novelist Francoise Sa¬ 
gan. Min&try of National Education 
cancelled following the questions 
of Pierre de Leotard of the As¬ 
sembly and other clamor that in 
financially-harassed France it was. 
absurd to give tax money to a 
prosperous author, a successful 
painter, Bernard Buffet, and a 
well-to-do director, Roger Vadim. 

“Subsidy” is not supposed to go 
to people enjoying both fame and 
fortune from their own activities. 

De Leotard, head of a parliamen¬ 
tary committee concerned with .the 
current labor crises of the nation¬ 
alized theatres (Comedie-Fran- 
caise, Theatre National Populaire, 
Opera, Opera-Comique), felt that 
the money Could have been used 
for more worthwhile purposes than 
a ballet which held trump cards 
already on its name values.. Though 
money was handed out primarily as 
a cultural gambit, sjnce the ballet 
tried out in Monte Carlo, goes to 
England and may end up in the 
U. S. De Leotard felt there were 
many more less publicized groups 
of more important cultural signif¬ 
icance. 

Meanwhile the Sagan ballet got 
bad reviews here but its curio val¬ 
ues may produce good two Week 
run, and it may pay off addition¬ 
ally on foreign bookings. 

Ministry of National Education, 
the state org which granted the 
original figure, explained cancel¬ 
lation on' grounds the original 
scenario, presented to obtain the 
subsidy, differed greatly from the 
final ballet. The Ministry said that 
the very substance, meaning and 
character of the original had been 
disfbrted in the stagings The 
amount had been paid. Ministry 
ordered a reimbursement. 


GRANADA FESTIVAL 
SETS ART TALENT 

Madrid, Jan. 28. 

The annual; Granada Music and 
Ballet Festival will this year high¬ 
light ManueT de Falla's opera "La 
vida breve” with Victoria de los 
Angeles in the lead. Work was re¬ 
vived last fall by N. Y. City Center 
Opera. Antonio and his Spanish 
Ballet Will also appear in this opus. 

Other features Of the coming 
June 20 to July 4 fest include re¬ 
citals by Arthur Rubinstein and 
Andres Segovia, symphonic con¬ 
certs by Spain’s National Orches¬ 
tra and the Stuttgart Chamber Or¬ 
chestra under the direction of Karl 
Munchinger and an American bal¬ 
let company to be announced 
shortly. 

Festival is sponsored by govern-, 
ment’s Direction General de Bellas 
Artes and is recognized by the Eu¬ 
ropean Association of international 
Music Festivals. 

Israeli Court Orders 
Cinema to Grant Passes 

Tel Aviv, Jan. 28. 

A Jerusalem court has ordered 
the owners of the local Eden Cin¬ 
ema to supply six free tickets near: 
the centre of the house for each 
performance for the next five years 
to the heirs of a late American 
citizen, Albert L. Floyd. Floyd 
leased the estate to the present 
managers 12 years ago on the con¬ 
dition that six ducats be made 
available at any time they are 
asked for. The court granted the 
heirs permission to pass the seats 
to anyone else but forbade their 
sale. 

Another lawsuit involving a 
cinema was heard in the small 
town of Affula, Israel, where the 
council had close'd down a third 
cinema claiming that tWo houses 
were enough for the citizens of 
that community. The court ordered 
the city to issue a license to open 
the cinema. 


Queen to See Preem of 
‘Dunkirk’ in London 

London, Feb. 4.. 

The Queen and the Duke- of 
Edinburgh are to attend the world 
preem of “Dunkirk “ made by Eal¬ 
ing for Metro release, at the Em¬ 
pire, Leicester Square, March 201 
-Entire opening night take is being 
donated to the Fund of the Sol¬ 
diers; Sailors and Airmen Families 
Assn. 

Ope of the biggest films ever to 
be made in Britain, “Dunkirk”, has 
a Cast, including servicemen, of 
more than 4,000. It was produced 
by Sir Michael Bailcon and. directed 
by Leslie Norman, with D^jchael 
Forlong as associate producer. 
Leads are played by 'John Mills, 
Richard Attenborough and Bernard 
Lee. Because the Dunkirk skyline 
had been restored, most of the eva¬ 
cuation scenes were filmed in the 
South Coast of England. 



Record Fix Prod, 

Belgrade, Jan. 28. 

A record production in the Yugo¬ 
slav Motion Picture industry was 
achieved in 1957 according to the 
Film Producers Society. A spokes¬ 
man for c the society said that on 
the basis Of current, calculations, 
there will be 14 feature pix made 
this year. 

%The co-productions now in the 
process of completion, include 
■'Aleksa Dundic” with Russia; “The 
White Blue Road” with the Italian, 
French and German co-op, and 
“La Tour—Prends Guard” with the 
French. The three completed, co¬ 
productions are: “When Love 
Conies” and “Mihail Strogov” with 
French partners; and “Bread and 
Salt,” German. 

A new record was made in the 
production’ of shorts with 119 at 
the'end of October. Currently anr 
other 76 shorts are in various 
stakes of . production. 

It is stressed by the society that 
two trends showed up in this year’s 
film production in Yugoslavia. Of 
the total feature films made during, 
this year half are based oh sub¬ 
jects having a contemporary theme. 
The other saw four color features 
coming to the* fore. “If Is Not 
Easy to Get Married” was the first 
tinter made in this country. Color 
also has spread ..to documentary 
pix. 

The new government economic 
laws for the protection of domestic¬ 
ally-produced films also greatly 
contributed to . increased produc¬ 
tion of. films. One measure- re¬ 
quires every picture house to show 
domestic films on a .fixed per¬ 
centage. 

GU Theatres Unloading 
Unwanted Film Houses 

Sydney, Jan. 28. 

Greater Union Theatres, under 
the chairmanship of Norman B. 
Rydge, is understood readying to 
turn over certain so-called 
“fringe houses to selected man¬ 
agers foi* operation on a family 
house basis. 

“Fringe” cinemas are . those un¬ 
economical to run oii a loop setup 
because they are regarded as be¬ 
ing on the fringe of good show ter¬ 
ritory. Via low overhead, plus re¬ 
duced staff, these cinemas would 
be okay under solo management. 
GUT some time ago reset a house 
at Lane Cove, nearby family su¬ 
burb, with the Hoyts’ circuit doing 
likewise at Neutral Bay with sat¬ 
isfactory results. GUT will now go 
ahead unloading, several other 
“fringe” houses. . 

A spokesman said that , the up¬ 
beat Of tele here (sets are re¬ 
ported as selling at the rate of $2,- 
000,000 per month), had nothing 
whatever to do with. this unloading 
plan. Exhibs see a bright year 
ahead for the Aussie cinema setup 
with the outstanding product com¬ 
ing in now. 




It’* Spencer, U.S.A. 

Frankfurt, Feb. 4. 

Kenneth Spencer who has 
had a considerable success in 
German grand opera and who 
lives permanently abroad has 
no intention Of giving up his 
U.S. citizenship. This was 
wrongly stated in a roundup 
on. German opera printed in 
. Variety ? S Anni. He will even¬ 
tually brave America when he 
feels the time career- 

wise. ; 

Meanwhile he’s happy to be 
an American; and his son, bom * 
in Paris, is also one. 


Biz Needing Czar 

By ERICK GORRICK 

. Sydney, Jan. 28. 

Majority of Down Under filmites 
agree that the local picture scene 
needs a top-ranking executive with 
plenty of show biz know-how to 
take control of the industry in 
behalf of both exhibitor and dis¬ 
tributor interests, with a financial 
holding in neither groups. 

Principal chores of a No. 1 man, 
according to many showmen, would 
be tp introduce new methods to 
win a dwindling public back to 
cineman boxpffhe, talk turkey to 
any exhibitor or distributor dealing 
from the bottom' of. the deck, 
prevent political moguls continuing 
the idea, that the film industry is 
a goose with an unlimited store 
of “golden” eggs, via an overplay 
of taxation, . combat the slaps at 
pix by the Church, to nip ip the 
bud pronto giveaway rackets by 
certain exhibs to fight for Sabbath 
film shows and to generally set 
the cinema house in order. 

Showmen admit that such a pic¬ 
ture Miracle Man may be hard to 
locate in this territory with its 
limited population. Nevertheless, 
they point out, if the industry is 
willing to kick, in with the right 
sort of coin, such a man of Will 
Hays’ stature, would be unearthed 
to guide the film industry out Of 
the morass it has gotten itself into 
because of its Rip Van Winkle 
attitude towards powerful and 
virile Opposition, 

Many Down Under showmen 
frankly admit that glamor quit the 
local scene when pen-and-ink men 
introduce limited budgets cover¬ 
ing publicity-exploitation, brought 
in chain store operation methods, 
had Staffs give an account of the 
number of powder room supplies 
used weekly, and nixed an overplay 
of front-of-house hally-hoo, figur¬ 
ing that a few posters and one- 
inch newspaper display ads were 
sufficient to sell a production. 

Glamor came back into the 
Aussie Show biz scene with 
“Around World in 80 Days,” mainly 
because Mike Todd said there was 
no limit on the coin to be used 
for bally. Now local showmen have 
been bitten by the ballyhoo bug. 

paramount steps .into the bally¬ 
hoo for “10 Commandments,” due 
for. the Prince Edward here next 
March on two-a-day and upped 
scale. There will he big bally, too, 
for such pix as “Bridge on River 
Kwai” (Col) and “Peyton Place” 
(20th). . 

Here McIntyre, topper of Uni¬ 
versal-international here, has been 
mentioned; as suitable for the 
Miracle Man role. 

Scribe Wins Plagiarism 
Action in Rome Court 

Rome, Jan. 28. 

; In. one of the rare decisions in 
favor of the claimant in a plagiar¬ 
ism case; Rome courts have voted 
a decision in favor of writer Gio¬ 
vanni Cbmmisso. He claimed that 
a feature pic of some years back, 
“Anni Facili” (Easy Years), had 
been" lifted, front his book, “Cin- 
ismo a Roma.” . 

Court decision ordered the film 
company, Ponti DeLaurentiis 
Prods., to pay Commisso damages 
totaling the entire take of the fea¬ 
ture during its release. Magis¬ 
trate, after comparing the book 
arid the film, found them “of such 
an identity of representation (so 
as to constitute) a ' single idea, 
which, constitutes toe revelation of 
plagiary of a high juridic degree,” 
(Pic (and book) were based on the 
adventures amid Roman bureauc¬ 
racy and with the red tape of a 
Sicilian. Film was produced in 
1953 and released in this country 
by Paramount . Films. 


‘Nationality Days’ At Brussels 


A rundown of what the upcoming (April to October) Brussels World’s 
Fair terms ‘‘Times Square to Red Square” talerft of stagehand Concert 
hall from participating nations during their national days (dates of 
the nationaldays immediately follow the name of each countr^): 

Austria—May 7, Vienna Philharmonic. 

Canada—The 60-man CBC Symphohy Orchestra, conducted by Geof¬ 
frey Waddington, in first overseas appearance; no date set yet, but 
carded for late August as part of troupe's European itinerary (prob¬ 
ably London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Vienna, Florence); to feature 
Canadian guest soloists and native composers: 

Czechoslovakia—July 23-24, Skupa Marionette Theatre, pageants by 
the Sulk Folklore Ensemble, concerts by the Czech Philharmonic: 

England—July 10-11-12; July 10, Sir Malcolm Sargent conducting the 
BBC Orchestra and Huddersfield Choir in Holst’s “Planets” and Sir 
William Walton’s “Belshazzar’s Feast”; 11th, in Elgar’s “Dream of Gcr- 
ontius”; 12th, Scottish Guards Orchestra in concerts of pop and semi- 
classical music. May 26, Royal Ballet. 

Finland—May 21, popular dances, by the Jalkanen Group and con¬ 
certs by the Univ. of Helsinki Choir. 

France—July 8-9; July 8, Paris Opera Ballet; 9th, plays of the French 
theatre Hay the Comedie Francaise. Sept. 25, concert of Contemporary 
music and a play produced by Jean-Louis Barrault. 

Hungary—May 2, Sept. 17; May 2, Cordes Tatray Quartet, the Wood¬ 
wind Quintet of Budapest and the Hungarian Opera in works by Zol- 
tan Kodaly, Bela Bartok, Ferenc Farkas; Sept, 17, concerts by stars of 
the Hungarian Opera and program of songs and dances by the Hun¬ 
garian Popular Ensemble. = 

Iran—Sept. 4, an original ballet 

Japan—May 13, operetta, ballet and Kabukl dancers. 

Soviet Union—Aug. 11-12-13 (schedule not officially confirmed as 
yet), Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow Art Theatre and concerts under Dmitri 
Shostakovich. 

Switzerland—June 29, July 3l, Aug. 1; June 29, the Scfcauspielhaus 
of Zurich in “Romulus,” new play by Friedrich Durrenmatt; the Stadt- 
theater of Basle in first performance of “Titus Feuerfuchs” by Hein¬ 
rich SUtermeister; July 31, Ernest Ansermet conducting the Orchestra 
of the Swiss Romande; Aug. 1, folklore processions and patriotic pag¬ 
eant. Sept. 5, special performance of Frank Martin’s choral work, “Le 
Vin Herbe” by the Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne under Victor De- 
sarzens. 

United States—July 2-3-4, concerts by the Philadelphia Orchestra 
under Eugene Ormandy with Isaac Stem as soloist, and ballet by toe 
American Ballet Theatre starring Nora Kaye and Eric Bruhn. 

Yugoslavia—June 27-28, Ballet of Belgrade in works by Baranovio 
and Bartok, concerts by the Belgrade Philharmonic with soprano Zinka 
Milanov, the Mixed Choir of the Yugoslav Army and chamber music 
by the soloists of Zagreb led, by Antonio Janigro. 

(Majority Of foregoing events to be held in 2,000-seat and 500-seat 
auditorium and an open-air esplanade in the Belgian Section. The U.S. 
and the Soviet Union, with 1,1200-seat and 1,500-seat theatres adjoin¬ 
ing their respective pavilions, are planning, supplementary theatre, con¬ 
cert, ballet and film presentations through toe run Of the fair; v April 
17 to Oct. 19. At Intervals between major national celebrations, a series 
of International festivals of performing arts sponsored by Belgium as 
host nation.) 

International 

International Experimental Film Festival, April 21-27, with awards to 
cinematic devices contributing most to future development of the film; 
World Film Festival, May 20 to Juno 13, best films of 1957; survey of 
the motion.picture from, its beginnings to the present, concluding with 
a gold medal award to “the best film °f all time,” Oct. 12-18; concerts 
of martial music by leading military bands; International Meeting of 
Youth Orchestras; July 13-20; Festival of Experiental Music, presenting 
experiments in the field of electronic reproduction of music, Oct. 5-10; 
International Festival of Marionette Theatres, displaying skills of the 
world’s leading puppeteers; May 17, July. 26, Sept. 27; International 
Festival of University Theatres, surveying contemporary trends in the 
dramatic arts. Aug. 2-9.. 


s 


U.S. Shoestring-&-Private Charity 

Continued from page 1 


gium Miss Cisney promoted $3,000 
from the Norman Fund. 

| Transportation Was the stagger¬ 
ing item to get around; since round 
trip stands $900 per head. In the 
Case of the Yale U.’s drama depart¬ 
ment production of Archibald Mac- 
Leish’s “JB” the make-do financing 
calls for the troupe to play U. S. 
Army installations in Europe, 
thereby entitling it to military 
plane transport both ways. 

International Cultural Exchange 
(State Dept.) found $60,000 to fi¬ 
nance the Julliard Orchestra which 
will make the U. S. competitive to 
all other nations In the “youth 
music” side of the expo. Harry 
Belafonte comes under the head of 
a philantrophist, donating his ser¬ 
vices for four concerts in Septem- 
! her with his entourage. Apparently 
America’s “Little Theatre” move¬ 
ment, something which does not 
exist in ahy other country, will 
have a company at Brussels. Unless 
some Congressibnal money is. avail¬ 
able these 4rassrobters will travel 
under funds raised by themselves 
on Main Street, U. S. A. 

American Ballet Theatre is . re¬ 
ported another of the events on 
Miss C i s n e y ’ s schedule. Here, 
again, advantage is taking of the 
company’s presence overseas on 
another State Dept. tour. 

Richard Griffith of the N. Y. 
Museum of Modern .Art and a 
committee is selecting a program 
of documentary films illustrating 
life in. America and it’s hoped the 
producers will deadhead the nega¬ 
tives. 

The operating funds of the U. S. 
Pavillion and Theatre were cut to 
$800,000 .(buildings cost over $10,- 


000 ,000) and of this sum $200,000 
went at once to equip them with 
curtains, lights and jso on. A main 
item of expense will be transport 
from N. Y. of the City Center party 
of 85 which, under Miss Dalrymple 
will offer “CarousCl,” “Susannah” 
“Our Town” and “Glass Menag¬ 
erie.” With* these four eyents, plus 
the 11-odd of Miss Cisney’s'negoti¬ 
ation, the U. S. participation still 
has a lot to go to fill the 26-week 
time span. Hence the hope that 
Congress will rise to the need so 
that American will not have to 
.shoestring it against Russia’s shoot- 
the-bankroll plan. 

As the U. S. plan to date began 
to piece together last week, her 
doctor ordered Miss Cisney to im¬ 
mediately rest. In doing so she 
drew the laurel of “immeasurable” 
achievement from Cullman who 
hailed her as “a lady Atlas,” 



London, Jan; 28. 


Jack Cardiff, one of Britain’s top 
cameramen (he. was on such pix 
as “African Queen” and “War and 
Peace”), will direct his first Brit¬ 
ish feature film, following some 
directorial stints on the Continent. 
Cardiff’s debut as director will be 
for Zonic Productions on “Intent 
to Kill” drama starring Richard 
Todd and Betsy Blake. 

Location work* will be done , in 
Montreal. Cardiff and producer 
Adrian Worker, have flown there 
for a looksee. “Intent” is a sus¬ 
pense drama about a political, fac¬ 
tion seeking to bump off a South 
American president, arid will, he 
released by 20th-Fox. 



11 


'VARIETY'S' LONDON OFFICE 
t It. Mirtlii'i Plici, Tfililsir |quir> 


PT&klBgfir 


PfTERlVATiem * 


Cdlas ROes La Scala, Too 

Milan, Feb. 4. 

Maria Meneghinl Callas’ recent “open letter” to the Italian pub¬ 
lic, which most observers here have interpreted as an open at¬ 
tack on La Scala, her home base, has had widespread repercus¬ 
sions throughout Italy. Milano opera showcase is said to be con¬ 
templating possible disciplinary action. 

Pointedly, the Greek soprano in her appeal refuted accusations 
regarding her walkouts of performances at Vienna and Edinburgh 
on the basis that She personally was not legally held to them (as 
had been claimed) by contract with the La Scala. Other comments 
by the diva were more specifically directed at the Scala organiza¬ 
tion itself, and at reports blaming her—and not the theatre—for 
organizational deficiencies resulting in two previous ‘‘Callas af¬ 
fairs.” i 

The La Scala management is expected to meet soon to discuss 
action on the controversy raised by the singer, and to study a re¬ 
port which is to be presented to the Mayor of Milano, Virgilio Fer¬ 
rari. 

Milan Opera circles also expressed surprise at the singer’s re- 
ported statements on a U.S. video show to the effect that she was ■ 
glad that things had gone the way they did, and that the recent 
Rome incident had shown her that she was necessary to the public. 


Italo Solons 
Check M-G Tie 
To Cinecitta 

Rome, Jan. 28. 

.Metro’s imminent occupancy of 
Rome’s Cinecitta Studios; for the 
making of “Ben Hur” has been the 
subject of an interrogation^ in the 
Italian Chamber of Deputies. *A' 
congressman, Mario Calabro, has 
officially queried the government 
regarding the recent pacts, linking 
Metro and the Cinecitta setup, his 
Implication being that the Yank 
production would practically mo-, 
nopolize the available studio space, 
thus leaving little or nothing for 
Use by Italo producers. 

Specifically, Calabro asked 
whether (1) Cineeitta would, be 
reserved for the exclusive use of 
the Metro unit during the films, 
shooting sked here; (2) lipw many 
sound stages have been reserved 
for “Ben Hur” and how. many will 
remain for use by local filmmakers; 
and (3), if and in what measure the 
use of Italo actors, Workers. End 
technicians has been guaranteed. •• 

The Mefro-Cinecitta agreements 
were, signed some time ago. They 
concern both the use of technical 
facilities as well as the labor rela¬ 
tions angles via a‘ pact between 
Metro and the democratic Italian 
labor unions. 

While it’s known that the Italian 
Aim toppers would prefer foreign 
pix made here to be co-produced 
(“Ben Hur” is exclusively a Metro 
project), an industry spokesman, 
nevertheless expressed surprise at 
the interrogation by Calabro. - He 
- indicated that while no release 
coin would be forthcoming front the 
“Ben Hur” enterprise the local pic 
Industry should be delighted by 
the employment opportunity of¬ 
fered extras, workers and techni¬ 
cians "by the Yank, production, 
especially in view of the current 
critical period in which the local 
film Industry finds itself. 


CLASSICAL & JAZZ 
TURNS FOR STRATFORD 

Stratford, Ont., Feb. 4 

“The.Beggar’s Opera;” the Fes¬ 
tival Singers and Vancouver-bpm 
bass-baritone Donald Bell will top 
the roster at the four-week Music 
Festival here next summer. Wilbur 
de Paris, Errol Garner, Carmen 
McRae, Billy Taylor and Canadian- 
born Moe Hoffman will be the jazz 
toppers.' Latter's. “Swinging Shep¬ 
herd Blues” is a rising hit on Ju¬ 
bilee. 

Folk music will be represented 
by Marais and Miranda, Richard 
Dyer ? Bennett and Canadians 
Jacques Lebresque aud Emma Cas- 
lor. Noah Greenberg will conduct 
the N. Y. Pro Muslca-in two con¬ 
certs of Renaissance and Baroque 
period music. All programs will be 
in the air conditioned Avon Thea¬ 
tre, a film house, instead of pre¬ 
vious Concert Hall. 

Tom Brown will stage and Louis 
Applebaum conduct •’Beggar's 
Opera” for 12 performances. It’s 
the Frederick Austin version of 
John Gay’s work, and ran nearly 
four years In London in the 20’s. 
Donald Bell will fly in from Ger¬ 
many, where he’ll be touring at 
time. 


France Sees Yank Film 



Many Staffs in Europe 

Paris, Febi 4. 

With bo th optimistic and pessi¬ 
mistic; prognostications oh the fu¬ 
ture of Hollywood and films regu¬ 
lar trade patter, Yank reps of 
i American major companies: here 
are also getting into the act. As 
Hollywood majors tighten belts, 
prototypes feel that the same might 
follow in the overseas branches. 
However, there is breast beating 
here because all feel that the 
Yank place in international marts 
is assured. This does not preclude 
realignment and retrenchment be¬ 
cause of get-tough policies from 
Continental countries, the Com¬ 
mon Film Mart. and stricter quoth 
Conditions. 

. U. S. reps opine, in some cases,- 
that companies probably eventu¬ 
ally will have to begin streamlin¬ 
ing their offices abroad in order to 
cut overhead.' Old talks of merg¬ 
er are afloat again. RKO has not; 
yet cut its staff .drastically; and 
is picking up foreign and Yank j 
indie films -for its quotas. But 
some great changes expected 
soon. 

Some sources point out that. 
American films still take top per*! 
centages in all the leading Con¬ 
tinental markets; and will continue, 
to do so since U. S. pix, via dubr 
bing, publicity, star; ; names; and 
blockbusters, are staple items. But 
growing big scale European pro¬ 
duction, plus more inter-Conti¬ 
nental reciprocation with needed 
screen space, may mean more 
squeezes on the Yanks. For ex¬ 
ample, in Paris there is a big 
problem of getting good firstrun 
outlets since burgeoning Gallic 
production has tied up many of | 
the lucrative houses. At any rate, 
with 50% of Yank grossers coming, 
from abroad, the foreign biz may ■ 
get greater priorities. 

EADY FUND NOW LOOKS 
TO GROSS $6,700,000 

London, Feb, 4 

The government estimate that 
the statutory Eady Fund, would 
gross over $10,000,000 in its first 
year is not being justified by re¬ 
turns. The latest figures Indicate 
that* the Fund will net little more 
than $6,700,000 in the current 
year. 

The gap between estimate and 
performance is largely due to the 
serious sharp decline in paid ad¬ 
missions, which has affected pic¬ 
ture theatres throughout the coun¬ 
try. In the first 10 weeks of the 
statutory levy, collections into the 
Fund have been well below $1,- 
400,000. The rate of distribution, 
however, has increased from 
22V6% to 30 %. 

Hangary Buys U. S. Pix 

Paris, Jan. 28; 

Marc ‘ Spiegel, Motion Picture 
Export Assn, rep until Feb. 1 
when Fred Gronich takes over, re¬ 
cently concluded a sale of 10 pix 
to Hungary. Films will be paid 
for with dollars in ;N. Y., the aver¬ 
age being ebout $3,000 per pic. 

Most pix are fairly recent ones, 
with comedies and musicals pre¬ 
dominating. Like Poland, with 
which Siegel also recently con¬ 
cluded a pact, the accent seems to 
be on escapism. Spiegel told 
Variety that Poland and Hungary 
would be the only satellites with 
which the MPEA would deal. 


Aussie Biz Upbeat At 
Cinema Attributed To 
Lighter Type of Fare 

Sydney, Jan. 28. 

Upward biz trend at the cinema 
boxoffice in Aussie is seen as re¬ 
flecting a swing to the “let’s for¬ 
get” type of product, with thumbs 
down oh War, westerns and prob¬ 
lem pix. , Top exhibs say. that if 
Hollywood can contiqpe to supply 
this lighter type of product, biz 
here will continue on the upgrade 
irrespective of what tele has to 
offer. 

That films have not lost their 
appeal with* the masses is strongly 
indicated by the trade Currently 
being done*; here with “Love in 
Afternoon” (UA), “April Love” 
(20th), “to Girls” (M-G), “Don’t 
Go Near JYater” (M-G), “Around 
W&rld in B0 Days” (U-A), ‘Carry 
On, Admiral” (U), “Affair to Re¬ 
member” (20th) and “My Man God¬ 
frey” (U), 

Showmen , here want to forget 
the last half of 1957 with its over¬ 
play of shot-and-shell, trigger^ 

S ', cowboys, and blatant sex. 

_ te the summer heat, a long 
drought, and disastrous hush* 
fires, tv, late-closing saloons and 
plush clubs, good pix arc pulling 
the patrons and the marquees are 
maihly carrying^ the tab of Yank 
fare, indicating that Hollywood is 
doing alright for itself in the An¬ 
tipodes, * 


Madrid, Feb. 4. 

Two gala theatre openings give 
evidence of continuing legit vital¬ 
ity and growing public favor. New 
Teatro Goya has posthumous wofk 
of Jacinto Benavente, “El Bufon de 
Hamlet,” starring Manual Dicenta, 
Maria Guerrero and Berta Riaza.^ 
Alberto Closas is presenting his* 
versiop of the Italian modern mus¬ 
ical, “Buona Notte, Bettina” at the 
Teatro Cbmedia. 

Inauguration of the dernier cri 
Teatro Goya marks a legit exodus 
from the confining back streets ad¬ 
jacent to the main stem Gran Via 
to the newer and more spacious 
nabe that extends from Cafe Gijpn 
to the Velasquez limits of . Calle 
Goya. In addition to Goya and the 
one-year old Teatro Recoletos fac¬ 
ing the egghead Cafe Gijpn, a 
former theatre in new legit area; 
Beatrlz, which operated as a film 
salon for years, reverts back to: 
legit in March when Tennessee 
Williams’ *‘Rose Tattoo” ip given a 
Spanish adaptation. 

Legit expansion is not without 
its growing pains. Theatre circles 
here report several major com¬ 
panies are no longer meeting pay¬ 
rolls, adding that house units are 
maladmihistered by an excess of 
non-professional staffers. 


Constant Coincidence 


l Lebanon, Pa. 

Editor, Variety : 

It was only natural for me when 
I was planning a trip last year to 
Vienna, Austria, on a stoiy assign¬ 
ment, to turn to Variety. . Figur¬ 
ing anyone who writes for your 
publication knows the local scene, 
I telephoned your correspondent, 
Emil Maass,'when I arrived in 
yienna. I identified myself and 
asked if. I could see him. 

“I’ll be right oyer,” he said. 

In no time he walked into the 
lounge of the Hotel Bristol where 
I was . staying. 

“How are things ^on Cumberland 
Street?” he immeditely asked. 
“How is the Bon Ton Store doing? 
Do you still use that red streamer 
on the front pajge of the Daily 
News?” 7 

Well, you can imagine my re¬ 
action to this bombardment of 
purely . Lebanon, Pennsylvania, 
references! 

Yes, Emil Maass had lived in 
Lebanon many years ago. 

. It’s a small world, thanks to 
Variety. And thanks to Maass, I 
learned much afbout Vienna in a 
relatively short time. 

Ted Gress, 
City Editor, 
Daily News. 


London Film Biz OK Despite Snow; 
‘Joey Sock S1Z500,3d;‘Cowboy Fast 

llG/Rock’ 14G; %m Mighty 12G 

-- .. -> - > - > 


Deal Falls Through On 
Old Vaudery in London; 
Lew Lake Remains as Op 

London, Jan. 28. 

Lew Lake, owner of the Collins 
Music Hall, one of London’s oldest 
vauderies, which recently threat¬ 
ened to go dark, told Variety that 
a deal to sell the theatre to fair¬ 
ground magnate John Collins was 
being held up because of “one or 
two complications.” 

Collins, who despite his name 
has no previous connection with 
the vaudery, put up $14,000 as a 
deposit on the property several 
months ago. /At that time, permis¬ 
sion was being sought from the 
London County Council by a firm 
of millers to convert the theatre 
into a warehouse and offices. The 
fairground operator stepped in and 
made a bid to buy the vaude house 
With the intention of operating it 
himself. 

Since then, Lake is reported to 
have had a change of heart about 
disposing of the property, and had 
decided that whatever happened, he 
would continue to run the theatre 
himself. Lake admitted that sev¬ 
eral snags had cropped up which 
had cooled down the deal some¬ 
what,, and added that if it finally 
went cold, he would keep the vaud¬ 
ery alive. . 

Meanwhile, another music hall 
which put the shutters, up recently, 
the Camberwell Palace . Theatre, 
continues to remain dark despite 
a plea from the Variety Artists’ 
Federation to the local Council to 
support a scheme which could 
agin "'make it operational.. The 
theatre is to be converted into a 
supermarket: 


Best’ Awards In 
Spain*Film Biz 

Madrid, Feb. 4. 

Sindicato Nacional del Especta- 
culo selected the. annual San Juan 
Bosco winners" with the two main 
325,000 peseta Oscars ($7,500) 
awarded to “...Y Elegio el In- 
fierno” (I Chose Hell) for the film 
best reflecting Spain’s reigning 
political and religious convictions, 
and to “Ultimo CupJe” (Last Song) 
as the quality standard hearer dur¬ 
ing 1957. 

Three additional feature film 
cash kudos went to “Amanecer en 
Puerto Oscuro” (Dawn on the 
Malaga Coast), “La Puerta Abierta” 
(Open Door) and “Los Angeles del- 
Volante” (Cab Drivers).' 

In the documentary class, 
“Goya,” “Garden Music” and 
“Green Coast” each received $500 
in local currency. 

Sarita Montiel, credited as prin¬ 
cipal . ingredient for prodigious 
“Ultimo Cuple” box-office mara¬ 
thon, was declared ineligible for 
best actress designation; Spanish 
stir had acquired Mexican nation¬ 
ality during early career years. 
Emma Penella and Paco Rabal won 
best performance laurels. 

Saenz de Heredia was named 
best director, Lucas and Gallardo 
screenwriting team was singled out 
in the scribbling department while 
principal technical honors went to 
cameraman Manuel Berenger, art 
director Andre Simont and music 
composer Lembergh. 

Awards were made at the San 
Juan Bosco dinner, in the presence 
of government personalities, sindi¬ 
cato chiefs and an outpouring of 
film industry celebs. 

Pub Scares Off Thug 

Norwich, Vt., Feb, 4. 

A newspaperman was right on 
the spot when a lone gunman at¬ 
tempted to rob the Exeter Street 
Theatre here. 

The intruder fled empty-handed 
when he saw Walter C. Paine, pub¬ 
lisher of The Valley News in West 
Lebanon, N. H:, approach the 
: house. 

A wild shot narrowly missed the 
l cashier. 


London, Jan. 28. 

A week of snow, ice and intense 
cold did not seriously hurt returns 
at first-run situations here al¬ 
though it affected the take at some 
of the long-running pix. -However, 
Around World in 80 Days,” “10 
Commandments/’ “Cinerama Hol¬ 
iday” and “Bridge on the River 
Kwai” all . continued in the big 
money stakes while newcomers like 
"Pal Joey” and “Jailhouse Rock’* 
made a distinct impact on the b.o, 
“Commandments/’ in its ' ninth 
Plaza round, hit a fancy $18,000, a 
slight dip over the previous week 
but still very big. This applies also 
to “80 Days,” where the 30th frame 
was close to $14,000. “Cinerama 
Holiday,” on its second anniversary- 
stanza, grossed a smash $15,000 in 
the 104th session. 

“Pal Joey,” which in its opening 
frame broke the Leicester Square 
Theatre house record, still is great 
at $12,500 in third round. “River 
Kwai,” in its second West End 
stint, grossed a boff $12,000 in its 
fourth week at the Odeon, Marble 
Arch. 

“Jailhouse Rock” looks fancy 
$14,000 at Empire in second round. 
Other sturdy entries include “Cow¬ 
boy,” sturdy $11,000 or more in its 
first frame at the Odeon, Leicester 
Square and “Enemy Below/’ which 
continues stout $8,500 hi third 
Carlton week. 

Estimates for Last Week 

Astoria (CMA) (1.474; $1.20- 
$2.15):. — “Around World” (UA) 
(30th wk). Almost $14,000, great 
for length of run. 

Carlton* (20th) (1,128; 70-$2.15)— 
“Enemy Below” (20th) (3d wk). 
Stout $8,500 or near. Last week, 
$9,800. “Naked Earth” (20 th) 
preems Jan. 30. 

Casino (Indie) (1.337; 70-$2,15)— 
“Cinerama Holiday” (Robin) (104th 
wk). Second anniversary ended 
with smash $15,000. Stays on until ; 
Feb. 22 when “Seven Wonders of 
World” (Cinerama) set to follow 
Feb. 26. 

Empire (M-G) (3.099; 55-S1.70)— 
“Jailhouse Rock” (M-G) (2d wk). 
Fancy $14,000 or near. First week, 
$15,000. “I Accuse’’ (M-G) due 
Jan. 30. 

Gaumont (CMA) 1.500; 50-$1.70) 
—“Blue Murder at St Trinian’s” 
(BL) (6th wk). Almost $8,500, big 
for time of run. 

Leicester Square Theatre (CMA) 
(1,376; 50-$1.70)—“Pal Joey” (Col) 
(3d wk). Smash $12,500 or near. 
Second was $13,000, “Witness for 
Prosecution” (UA) moves in Jan. 30. 

London Pavilion (UA) (1,217; 50- 
$1.70)—“Legend of Lost” (UA). 
Heading for steady $7,500. . , 

Odeon, Leicester Square (CMA) 
(2,200; 50-$1.70)—“Cowboy” (Col). 
Brisk $11,000. “Tale of Two Cities'* 
(Rank) due in Feb. 6. 

Odeon, Marble Arch (CMA) (2.- 
200; 50-$1.70)—“Bridge on the 

River Kwai” (Col) (4th wk). Boff 
$12,000. Third was $12,600. “Pal 
Joey” is due Jan. 31. 

Plaza (Par) (1,902; 95-$2.80)— 
“10 Commandments” (Par) (9th 
wk). Smash $18,000, Stays indef. 

. Rialto (20th) (592; 50-$1.3(j)— 
“No Down Payment” (20th) (2d 
wk). Steady $4,500. First Week 
was $5,300. 

Ritz (M-G) (432; 50-$1.30> — 

‘’Prince and Showgirl” (WB), Av¬ 
erage $2,000 or near. 

Studio One (APT) (600; 30-$1.20> 
—“Perri” (Disney) (6th wk). Good 
$2,700. Fifth was $2,900. Holds. 

Warner (WB) (1.785; 50-$1.70)— 
“Chase Crooked Shadow” (ABP) 
(2d wk). Steady $7,000 or near. 
First week wbs $7,800. Stay*? a 
third frames with “Sayonara” (WB) 
set to follow Feb. 6. 


Iturbi Plays in Israel 1 

Tel Aviv, Jan. 28. 

Overflow audience hailed the. 
first appearance here-of conduc¬ 
tor-pianist Jose Iturbi, when he 
conducted the Israel Philharmonic 
at the Frederic R. Mann Audito¬ 
rium. The Israeli orch seemed not 
quite up to. the brilliance de¬ 
manded by the guest, though he 
spoke flatteringly of the group. 

Maestro Iturbi will play concerts 
in Jerusalem and Haifa in addition 
to two more in Tel Aviv on the 
trip. 


P'SfilETt 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


in the 2a tradition of The Robe, The King and I, Anastasia 


motion picture 


to withstand 


achievement... 




assw,. 


MARLON 


BRANDO 

ail the clays and nights of 

the 


r-4 


MONTGOMERY 

CLIFT 


ling] 

PCZlNJEis/i/^ScoF 3 ! 


PRODUCED BY 

AL UCHTMAN 


DIRECTED BY 


EDWARD DMYTRYK 










Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


VSsuEfi 


IS 



SCREENPLAY BY 

EDWARD ANHALT 


BASED ON THE NOVEL BY 

IRWIN SHAW' 


MARLON BRANDO 

as 

Christian 

MONTGOMERY CLIFT 

as 

Noah 

DEAN MARTIN 

as 

Michael Whiteacre 

HOPE LANGE 

as 

Hope Plowman 

BARBARA RUSH 

as 

Margaret Freemantle 

MAY BRITT 

as 

Gretchen Hardenburg 

MAXIMILIAN SCHELL 

as 

Captain Hardenburg 

DORA DOLL 

as 

Simone 

LEE VAN CLEEF 

as 

Sgt Rickett 

LILIANE MONTEVECCHI 

as 

Franchise 

PARLEY BAER 

as 

Lt. Brandt 

ARTHUR FRANZ 

as 

Lt Green 

HAL BAYLOR 

as 

Pvt. Bumecker 


] RICHARD GARDNER 

,! as 

Pvt. Cowley 

HERBERT RUDLEY 

as 

C apt Coklough 
















14 


PICTURES 


pTBmff 


Wednesday, Fcbmary 5, 1958 


Terming the occasion “historic,”* 
Eric A. Johnston, president of Mo¬ 
tion Picture Assn, of America, yes¬ 
terday (Tues.) told a press Confer¬ 
ence in New. York that the industry 
Is ready to move with its long- 
pending, so-called business build¬ 
ing program. 

Samuel Rosen, speaking in the 
absence of Ernest Stellings, presi¬ 
dent of Theatre Owners of Amer¬ 
ica, stated that exhibition will put 
up its share of required financing, 
amounting to. $1,150,000 to be com¬ 
puted on basis of one-half of L% 
of last year’s film rentals. Rosen 
said he would pledge such dona¬ 
tions in behalf of his own. circuit 
(Stanley Warner) along with United 
Paramount and National Theatres, 
adding that Loew’s and RKO are 
“ready to go along.” Distributors 
are committed to match the exhib 
money dollar for dollar. ’ 

Sol A. Schwartz, president Of 
RKO chains, said he’d participate 
as indicated but injected; a note of 
disapproval with the program so 
far as fostership is concerned. 
Schwartz objected to the TOA 
identity With the project, prefer¬ 
ring instead that it be billed only 
as an all-industry endeavor. Cir¬ 
cuit exec, who reminded that RKO 
is not a TOA member, said he saw 
no point in public announcements 
about TOA being in, and Ailed 
States being out, for this would 
communicate to public disharmony 
that exists. 

Herman Levy, counsel for TOA, 
disclosed that Stellings had dic¬ 
tated a press statement anent the 
desire for' all exhibitors to join the 
campaign. Again Schwartz raised 
an objection, asking no statements 
from any individual but simply a 
description of the project as be¬ 
ing under the aegis of the entire 
industry. 

Levy advised, Schwartz to issue 
a similar statement for RKO, and 
emphasized that TOA is not claim¬ 
ing author. Abe Montague, repping 
both MPAA and the Council of Mo¬ 
tion picture Organizations, said 
TOA’s position was merely; one of 
participating organization. 

Breakdown on how the total in¬ 
dustry fund (of $2,300,000) is to be 
expended was given by Roger 
Lewis, former chairman of the 
MPAA’s ad-pub directors commit¬ 
tee,. Appropriation of $950,000 is 
for newspaper advertising in cities 
of 50,000 or more. Ads are to ap- 
per weekly, beginning in April, 
and while specific pictures are not 
to be mentioned, film companies 
are free to place their own ad¬ 
jacent paid-for copy. 

A radio campaign is to be. ex¬ 
tended nationally at a cost of 
$300,000. 

The. Oscar telecast is figured at 
$570,000 to $600,000, the latter de¬ 
signed to preclude local spot com¬ 
mercials. 

The broad field of public rela¬ 
tions is itemized at $150,000, and 
costs of administration, production, 
etc., $250,000. 

COMPO will be used “to the 
fullest .extent,” said Montague. 

Participants at the huddle said 
the campaign is to be continuous, 
not limited to a one-shot try. 


N.Y.’S BEEKMAN LOOMS 
AS FUTURE FIRST-RUN 

Beekman Theatre, N.Y., plush 
second-run house on the East side, 
likely will switch to a firstrun po¬ 
licy, Clem Perry, v.p. and general 
manager of the Rugoff & Becker 
circuit, reported last week. 

Perry noted that the theatre was 
'doing “very nice” business in its 
expanding neighborhood, and that 
he was “in no hurry” to change the 
policy. However, he said, if 
enough firstrun product can be 
lined up, the Beekman probably 
will go firstrun.. 

There had been a good deal of 
pressure on Perry for some time 
to turn the Beekman into a first- 
run release house, providing an¬ 
other outlet for foreign films. 


Henry Sherek, British legit man¬ 
ager, is writing his memoirs, which 
will be called "Not in Front of the 
Children.” 


Attendance Figures Up 

Hollywood, Feb. 4. 

Elmer C. Rhoden National 
Theatres prexy, reported film 
theatre attendance in South¬ 
ern California over last week¬ 
end comparable to last year’s 
corresponding figure. Big pix 
released during holiday season 
has resulted in “.marked im¬ 
provement.” 


"Run 9 Up Front 

Chicago; Feb. 4.. 

Belief of some industryites that 
film page newspaper advertising 
has lost its pull-power is disputed 
here by Ed Seguin, ad-pub topper 
for the Balaban & Katz circuit. His 
stand, in substance: If tickets aren’t 
moving, don’t blame the page- 
blame the copy. “Ads,” he states, 
“have to. create enough, wantrto- 
see to get them (patrons); out.” 

Seguin cited the opening last 
Thanksgiving of “Sad Sack" at the 
Chicago Theatre, B&K flagship. 
Only advance ads ran the day be¬ 
fore on amusement pages, and pic 
grossed sock $12,000 its first day. 

Issue arose over 20th-Fox’ $40,- 
000 ad outlay for Its “Farewell to. 
Arms” preem here at the indie Ori¬ 
ental. Campaign, personally 
helmed by Charles Einfeld, com¬ 
pany’s ad chief, called for important 
expenditures on news and women’s 
pages in Chi dailies, as well as in 
nabe gazettes and radio spot sat¬ 
uration. In Seguin’s view, ads for 
the pic which, ran on news and 
women’s pages "got lost” because 
they weren’t composed for those 
(Continued on page 18) 

♦ ♦ t ♦ » ♦♦♦♦»♦ f t ♦ ♦ 



Columbia has become disen¬ 
chanted' with Times Square. Filin 
company, reportedly is so fed up 
with the losses sustained in this 
NeW York showcase belt that the 
future likely will see relatively 
rare instances where a Col produc¬ 
tion is opened at one of the first- 
run houses. 

Various other distributors in 
past have been disgruntled with 
the economics of first-run engage¬ 
ments in Gotham. The result was 
that the Broadway spots were by¬ 
passed with certain kind of prod¬ 
uct—specifically, . the "nervous 
’A’ ” feature that lent itself to 
saturation bookings in the neigh¬ 
borhood circuits. 

: But these were booked a 
more: or less one-shot basis, where¬ 
as Col is thinking in terms of near¬ 
ly a total avoidance of the show¬ 
cases. In other words, Broadway 
will undergo a blackout in large 
part so fair as Col is concerned. 

Film Corporation’s new hands-off 
Broadway thinking stems from the 
fact, that of all of its pictures to 
open at a first-run in the past sev¬ 
eral months only one showed a 
profit. This was “Pal Joey,” at 
the ; Capitol. Even the widely ac¬ 
claimed and elsewhere-successful 
“Operation Madball” wound up at 
a deficit. At the Palace, “Bridge 
on the River Kwai” will come out 
on top but on a long-haul booking 
basis.. • 

Looking doubtful, presently, is 
!‘Bonjours Tristesse” despite a sub¬ 
stantial ad. campaign for the Capi¬ 
tol run. (it’s also hardly a secret 
that Col did a burn over the re-.| 
views, given this Otto Preminger 
entry.) 

Cause behind the fiscal hardship 
in the first-run; area is two-fold: 
(1), promotional activity to the ex¬ 
tent deemed necessary means an 
outlay of $20,000 to $25,000 in the 
minimum; (2), to this must be add¬ 
ed theatre overhead expense, 
which is regarded as unrealistically 
high. 

A majbr' consideration in past 
years was the "prestige ,r t6 be got¬ 
ten opt °t a New York first-run 
showcasing but the . importance of 
this is now lessening in the minds 
of some film execs/ 


Film Cos/ Ad Outlay Drops in 17 


The ‘Orderly’ Man 

Minneapolis, Feb.. 4. 

Edward L. Hyman, United^ 
Paramount vice president, is 
coming to Minneapolis March 
13 to tell this territory’s exhi¬ 
bitors about the progress that 
has been made toward “order¬ 
ly” spacing of top Hollywood 
pictures and what it should 
mean to exhibition. 

All of the area’s theatreown- 
ers will he invited to attend 
the meeting at which United 
Paramount’s Northwest circuit 
(Minnesota Amusement Co.) 
will be the host 


Downbeat Stories 
Need Constructive 
Counter-Views 

The spotlight is op the film in¬ 
dustry-in the lay press, Holly¬ 
wood’s woes have been played up 
in page one news stories and spe¬ 
cial features interpreting the “de¬ 
cline.” Examples are N.Y. Times 
featuring of Sindlinger report de¬ 
tailing the effect of the sale of fea¬ 
ture pictures to television, N.Y. 
Herald Tribune’s William Zinnser’s 
three-part Sunday analysis of the 
industry, Jess Steam’s series in the 
N.Y. Daily News, add in Ronald 
Reagan’s testimony before a Con¬ 
gressional tax committee as head 
of the Screen Actors Guild. 

The industry’s reaction was typi¬ 
cal of its traditional ostrich-like 
attitude. Most frequent comment 
was "why do they have to do this 
to;-us?” Although the picture biz 
has long appealed to newspapers 
as an outlet for its publicity, it is 
quick to cry "foul” when the fourth 
estate undertakes a realistic ap- 
(Continued on page 16) 




Heorst’s Gedimun On ‘Soles-At-Any-Price’ 

(All U.S. Biz Suffers Narrowing Ratio of Profit to Volume) 




M*- By ROBERT J. LANDRY »♦+♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ 


M-M 


T 

•1 


Some significant and arresting statements were" 
Uttered at the Edgewater Beach Hotel. (Chicago! 
Jan. 20 by H. James Gediman, exec veep of Hears! 
Advertising Service. His audience was the News¬ 
paper Advertising Executives Assn. Gediman’s; 
remarks were not, of course,, aimed at the film in- 


Mansfield,” this contestant is only not the grand 
winner, but in fact, a loser by Comparison. 

Gediman does not sneak up oh his point which 
is that present merchandizing procedures are “the 
craziest” and that advertising expenditures today 
exceed the payroll in many companies and even 


dustry, but at aU industry. Still the application and ./the cost of raw materials, as Clarence Eldredge 

_v- - stated..not long since to the Assn, of National Adver¬ 

tisers. 

Advertising,/Gediman stressed, ought always to 
be the direct, personal, responsibility of top man¬ 
agement: It cannot be otherwise in the context of 
narrowing margins of profit despite'’ Increasing 
total sales. 

Variety now speaking: the film business has tra¬ 
ditionally depended upOn newspaper space to put 
over its point-of-sale messages. Radio and televi¬ 
sion remain, to this day, “controversial” amongrthe 
exploiters of current screen offerings. Miracle- 
working air saturation campaigns, despite the bril¬ 
liancy of Terry Turner in New England and the 
shimmer of Gordon McLendon In Texas, are not 
generally emulated. Hence, there is a certain af¬ 
finity between the newspapers and the picture in- 
dustpr in that (a) they respect each other and (b) 
they recognize a common competitor ini video. 
Gediman talks ticket-selling language when he 
lVc “the arrival of goods at the giyen market for 


logic to. pictures in its present travail is not obscure. 

“Headlong pursuit of salesrat-any-price” must be, 
said the Hearstman, “abruptly reconstituted and 
squared with Certain- fundamentals.” Note this 
crack: 

“There is plenty of soom in business for 
showmanship, but American industry is hot. 
Show Business, and Show Business is' not Aynery 
can Industry ” 

Theatre and circuit operators will scarcely fail 
to nod understanding^ when Gediman remarks that 
“Tv is a medium that can be viewed by the public 
With a detachment verging on boredom.” This, of 


New Use of Copy 

. Hollywood, Feb. 4. 

Sales chief, of 20th-Fox, Alex Harrison, de¬ 
plores oldfashioned fixations, of film sell and 
thinks blind repetition at this time of threat to 
the business’ very survival is '“suicidal.” 

. He expands some of his known ideas. Use of 
theatre page instead of imaginative run-of-pa- 
per throws too much dependence on “copy,” 
Cah the ad steal the whole amusement page? 
If not, it isn’t doing the big job. 

; New uses of newspapers is in order. 


course, is no neW: point. For 25 years newspapers 
and magazines, not to mention outdoor display, have 
pot-shotted at the strange appeal to the advertiser 
of playing angel to entertainment. Gediman’s way 
of saying the same is this “Television brings but 
the impresario.lurking beneath the thin insulation of. 
the sponsor’s; business practicality. It is also, by 
conjugal contagion, frequently encountered in his 
wife.’’ 

For a further fillup on the theme he comments 
that businessman is sometimes puzzled at the 
intricacies of television giveaway programs. Though, 
a contestant collects “a Buick, a refrigerator, a life¬ 
time annuity and two weeks in Acapulco with Jayne 


says, 

retail sale means they have been sent to sales fac¬ 
tories; tLjy are at this point like the raw material 
that enters the plants Where the goods were made. 
Newspapers are part of the accelerating and process¬ 
ing machinery for the manufacture of those sales.” 

Gediman, also X-rays psychological behavior de¬ 
velopments in the researching of distribution prob¬ 
lems and referred to “almost comic-opera termin¬ 
ology” spoon-fed to the gentry by self-appointed 
Yogi. He wondered if the Yogi have any awareness 
or appreciation of publishing—where every item of 
every single issue is entirely different from the 
issue before. “The New York Times on a Sunday 
Will set copy and print 18,467 individual ads in 
one Issue.” He speculated aloud at the Chicago 
meeting whether newspapers needed more “psych¬ 
ological mystique” to. make themselves more glamor¬ 
ous via-a-vis video? “We are telling the truth, but is 
it. exciting?” 

Nothing could be more pertinent to current jit¬ 
ters in the film industry than Gediman’s remark 
about business in general: “The* executive throne 
is becoming an uneasy chair.” 


Continuing a trend of recent 
years, advertising by the major film 
companies in national magazine* 
and the Sunday newspaper supple¬ 
ments dropped again in 1957. 

To an- extent, this reflects the 
fewer number of pictures in re¬ 
lease, but primarily it’s indicative 
of. economies in ad. spending and 
the feeling that more is to. be 
gained in pointrof-sale newspaper 
splurges. 

Statistics made a v ail a b 1 e by 
Publishers Information Bureau to 
Variety show that the companies 
spent a* total of $3,082,415 in ad¬ 
vertising in the mags and supple¬ 
ments. This compares to $3,517,007 
in 1956 aiid $3,634^553 f in 1955. 
However? for most of 1957, the fig¬ 
ures aren’t precisely comparable to 

1956 since the companies lost some 
outlets with the fold of Collier’s, 
the Woman’s Home Companion and 
some other mags. 

Most striking drop is registered 
i ’57 by the Sunday supplements. 
Film ad expenditures in that media 
hit a new low last year, with only 
$353,942, of which This Week got 
the major share with $155)240. In 
195&, the supps got $378,232 and 
the year before $576,185. At one 
time, in 1952, the supplements got 
close tq $800,000, and that year the 
total mag and supplement take 
from films ran to $4,425,313, 

Mag Spending 

Tn the magazine field alone, the 

1957 film outlay was $2,728,473 
against $3,138,775 in ’56. Back in 
1950 that same total ran to 
$3 996 612, 

The .mag field still sees the week¬ 
lies and bi-weeklies ahead, with 
Life, Time, Newsweek, the Satur-. 
day Evening Post* etc. garnering 
$1,226,436 last year. Life’s share 
dropped from $599:100 in 1956 to 
$467,430 in ’57 and Time, too, went 
down, to $19,300 from $31,630. 

Women’s mags last year got 
$527,008 with McCalls leading the 
field with $177,163 and Seventeen 
showing a slight improvement to 
$97,270 from $76,600. Total for/he 
women’s mags in ’56 was $490,805. 
General monthlies (Argosy, Es¬ 
quire, Readers Digest, etc.) got 
$242,994 last year,. Which is about 
the same as in 1956. Fan mags im¬ 
proved to $724,935 from $668,8981 

Film companies continue to iff? 
nore wide mag areas, such as the. 
home publications, youth,' business, 
farm, outdoor and sports, mechan¬ 
ics and science, etc. 

Metro Topped 

While the detailed compilation 
of ad expenditures is available only 
for the 11 months of Jan. through 
Nov., 1957, PlB figures clearly 
show that Metro is the ad leader 
for the year. It spent $778,214 6n 
17 films in the mags and $52,865 in 
the supplements. By contrast. Uni¬ 
versal, Which in the past has rated 
high, spent only $363,571 in the 
mags and not a penny in the supp& 
That total covered 15 films. 

-At Metro, “Les Girls” got the 
biggest ride With an expenditure 
of $210)247 in the mags, “Silk 
Stockings” rated $24,351 in the 
mags and $52,865 in the supps. 
Paramount’* mag ad. outlay for 
“Ten Commandments” is put at 
$22,164, indicating tfie amount of 
free space garnered by the film. At 
20th-Fox, “Island in the Sun” was 
plugged $14,485 worth in the mags 
and $117,250 worth in the supple¬ 
ments and “Hatful of Rain.” got a 
$93,057 ride in both the mags and 
the Sunday supplements. 

United Artists splurged. $96,733 
worth on. the Hecht-Lancaster re¬ 
lease, “Sweet Smell of Success” 
and Warner Brothers spent $72,479 
advertising “Spirit of St. Louis” in 
the mags, dittoing with $71,960 for 
“Sayonara.” Allied Artists spent 
$95,012 on “Love in the Afternoon” 
and Columbia invested $72,825 in 
magazine ads for “Jeanne Eagles.” 
Compilation makes it clear that the 
companies tend to support their 
“nervous” films,' allowing the suc¬ 
cesses to skate along on their own 
momentum. 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


15 


MS&PFf 


82,000,000 READERS MONTHLY! 

[ these columns appear in LOOK, MCCALL’S, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, 

[ COSMOPOLITAN, REDBOOK, SEVENTEEN, PARENTS’ TRUE STORY ‘ 
, And Mon s Roar Column in THE SATURDAY EVENING POST 


PICTURE 

OF THE MONTH 


“The only Hell is being unable to love...” 

So says Yul Brynner as Dmitri, most 
passionate of “The Brothers Karamaaov”, 
in a fiery scene from the filming of this 
mighty novel. He is speaking to Grushenka, 
the pliant beauty craved by his own father. 
She brushes a kiss across Dmitri’s lips. 
Whispering: 

“That's all I have—being able to love. 
When you came in tonight, I thought my 
heart would hurst. I wanted you'so much. 
And then I saw your eyes...arid the pis¬ 
tols...were you really going to shoot me?” 



This scene has a lusty excitement. So 
does the entire story of the exploding emo¬ 
tions of the Karamazovs—father and sons 
—their loves; their friends, their enemies. 
Writer-director Richard Brooks' adapta¬ 
tion and the throbbing performances of a 
large all-star cast faithfully follow the 
many moods of master story-teller, 
Dostoyevsky, 

According to producer Pandro S. Ber¬ 
man, more than half of the large Avon 
Production budget went to acquire the ex¬ 
actly right stars. Brynner is magnificent in 
his latest role since his Award-winning 
“The King and I”. Maria Schell, already 
Earned as a great international actress, 
wins new acclaim with her role of earthy, 
vital Grushenka and Claire Bloom’s cling¬ 
ing, suddenly awakened Katya solidifies 
her popularity with audiences. Others elo¬ 
quently present in this sprawling canvas 
are: Lee J. Cobb, Albert Salmi, ; Richard, 
Basehart and William Shatner. 

M-G-M has planned “The Brothers 
Karamazov" for ten years. As the result 
unfolded before us in Metrocolor, we were 
glad thdy waited for the perfect creative 
combination of technicians and cast. 


No list of the cast is complete without 
inentioning one more person. The viewer. 
It is not too muclrto say that anyone who 
has ever loved; hated, prayed, sacrificed, 
raged, or plotted revenge.. .must find some 
part of himself or herself here. The best 
part, the worst part. Or both. 

As all men are brothers, so are ail men 
and women “The Brothers Karamazov”. It 
is a distinct and distinguished achieve¬ 
ment. 


P.S. “Get more out of life ... go out to a 
movief” 



“Merry Andrew" in two happy words is 
Danny Kaye. And this new Sol C. Siegel 
production from M-G-M in CinemaScope 
and Metrocolor is Danny's first picture in 
three years. [ 

Danny has lots of most agreeable co-star¬ 
ring company to help with the high-flying 
hilarity, Extra added distractions like lovely 
Pier Angeli. And the celebrated basso, 
Baccaloni, who made his comedy debut in 
“Full of Life". As well as Robert Coote of 
“My Fair Lady" fame, together with Noel 
Purcell and Patricia Cutts. 



But most of all, the story is decidedly off 
the beaten sound track for even the biggest 
of musical comedies, It also happens to be 
very funny, with scope for all of Danny’s 
ten-foot-tall talents. He is Andrew Larabee* 
shy-guy schoolteacher in an exclusive boys' 
school who, while searching for a fabled 
Roman treasure, pitches camp on a site 
claimed by a traveling circus. 

Danny as a lion-tamer ... Danny in . top 
hat and tails on the flying trapeze. . .Danny 
as a chin-up “stout fella" who tries to teach 
manners to five volatile Gallini Brothers 
who own a circus...are just a few of the 
justly heralded Kaye-O’s. 

Michael Kidd, making his director debut, 
puts the same dash and pace into the roman¬ 
tics. and plot antics as into the dance se¬ 
quences for which he's been known hitherto. 
Based on a story by Paul Gallico, Isobel 
Lennart's and I. A. L. Diamond’s screen¬ 
play keeps everybody hot and humming. 

Speaking of humming, the songs (music 
by Saul Chaplin, the associate producer, 
and lyrics by Johnny Mercer) alternately 
jump,, soothe,, astound and titillate. Of the 
eight tunes, we bring to our mind’s ear: the 
ballad**You Can't Always Have What You, 
Want", the happy-go-lickety “Everything 
is Tickety Boo", the pantomimed “Pipes of 
Pan", the patter delight “The Square of the 
Hypotenuse", and “Buona Fortuha’’, whose 
bacchanalian flavor so robustly co-features 
BaccalOni. 

“Merry Andrew" is aptly named. Not just 
something for everybody. But just about 
everything for everybody—all wrapped up 
ih a big.bright Metrocolor package. A con¬ 
tinuous flow of fun. fun. fun. 


ONLY 

M-G-M 

DOES 

ITS 

M-G-M alone highlights 
its vast advertising penetra¬ 
tion with regular monthly 
columns in top national 
magazines. 

Now the mighty “THE 
BROTHERS KARAMAZOV"; 
next “MERRY ANDREW" 
for your Happy Easter 
Holiday Attraction. 

These famed columns com¬ 
mand preferred attention, 
up front, with no other ads 
permitted, on the most-read 
“Table of Contents” page. 
They are rated “best-read of 
their size” by the scientific 
Starch surveys. 

Just part of the big build¬ 
up for TWO bountiful block¬ 
busters from M-G-M... 

"THE BROTHERS 
KARAMAZOV” 

"MERRY ’ANDREW” 


P.S. 

“SEVEN HILLS OF ROME” 
BIG AT MUSIC HALL, N.Y.! 







16 


PICTURES 


PftRtEfrr 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


Downbeat Stories 


‘Sayonara andTeytonPlace’Pacers; 
‘Water/ ‘Raintree/ Teller: 4,5, 


(Variety’^ regular weekly 
hoxofiice reports are summar¬ 
ized each month, retrospective¬ 
ly. Based on an average of 24 
key situations, the source data 
constitute an adequate sam¬ 
pling of curTent releases hut is. 
not, of course, fully definite.' 
An index of relative grossing 
strength in the U. S.-Canada 
market, the monthly report 
does not pretend to express 
total rentals.) 


By MIKE WEAB 

After the gloomy boxoffice 'tid¬ 
ings in December, exhibitors be¬ 
gan to wonder if the bottom had" 
not sprung a lethal leak. But the; 
glowing January ^results . changed 
all' that. In fact, most key cities 
reported the greatest intake for 
the first month of a new fear in 
the last four or five years.* Some 
idea of the upsurge is obtained 
from the fact that the first four 
highest grossing pictures 'amassed 
the huge total of better than $6,- 
©00,000 for the 31-day period in 
the 23 representative key cities 
covered by Variety. 

“Sayonara” (WB) was cham¬ 
pion at the wickets' last month 
with better than $2,000,000 gross. J 
Pic hit the fantastic gross figure; 
cf $714,000 in the year-end holi¬ 
day Week. It was closely followed, 
by “Peyton Place” (20th). Both pix 
still were running on extended-run 
engagements as the month ended. 
“Around the World in 80 Days” 
(UA) slipped back ,to third posi¬ 
tion in the face of the great trade 
done by these two newcomers. ‘‘80 
Days” had finished first for seven 
different months prior to this. 

“Don’t Go Near Water” (M-G) 
was a strong fourth-place winner, 
this comedy about naval men show¬ 
ing surprising strength during the 
year-end holidays. “Raintree 
County,” also from Metro, climbed 
up to fifth position when released 
on continuous run policy in most 
localities. 

‘God Created Bardot* 

“Old Yeller” (BV) wound up 
sixth, getting an unusually large 
juve play. “Seven Wonders of 
World” (Cinerama) dropped : down 
' to seventh place. It was fifth in 
December. “And Gdd Created 
Woman” <Kings) managed to cop 
eighth position, being the first 
French pic to achieve such high 
rating in Variety's list in years. 

“Search for Paradise” (Ciner¬ 
ama), which already has proved 
that it is not another “Wonders,” 
wound up ninth- "Legend of Lost” 
(UA) landed 10th money, rather 
amazing in view of the crix barbs 
In some cities, 

“Enemy Below” (20th) Copped 
11th place while “Sad Sack” (Par), 
which was very big the final week 
in December, rounds out the 
Golden Dozen. “Sack” found the 
competition from big blockbusters 
rather tough to haiidle, but man¬ 
aged to cop a fifth place one week 
in JanUary. 

“Tarnished Angels” (U-); “Ger- 
vaise” (Cont) and “Pal Joey” 
(Col) were the runner-up films. 
Last-named was second in Decem¬ 
ber. 


Jannary’s B.O. Boffs 

1. “Sayonara” (WB). 

2. “Peyton Place” (20th). 

3. “Around World” (UA). 

4. “Near Water” (M-G). 

5. “Baintree” (M-G). 

6 . “Old Yeller” (BV). 

7. “7 Wonders” (Cinerama). 

8 . ^Created Woman** (Kings). 

9. “Paradise” (Cinerama). 

10. “Legend of Lost” (UA). 

1L “Enemy Below” (20th). 

12. “Sad Sack” (Par). 


“Deep Six” (WB) has shown up 
okay on two engagements to date. 
‘ “My Man Godfrey” (U) did well 
enough in adding fresh coin to 
land as runner-up film one Week. 
‘10 Commandments” (Par), which 
has. finished major first-run date 
excepting in L.A. andN.Y., is start¬ 
ing to drag in amazing coin from 
Smaller keys and top subsequent- 
runs in bigger cities. 

‘Jamboree” (WB) chipped in 
with some good to okay engage¬ 
ments. “Rbdan’\ (DCA) came 
through with startling big grosses 
in keys where given all-out. bally. 

“Razzia” (Kass) came through 
with good to big returns in sev¬ 
eral spots:“Paths of Glory” (UA), 
just getting .started, hints of doing 
very well with some sock openings 
during the? year-end holidays.. 


Liquidators 

S Continued from page 5 rssssi- 
industry hardly 'advocate 

‘quick profit” tv sales for. another 
reason. They're fearful of becom¬ 
ing identified as “liquidators” (a 
term loathed. in financial circles) 
and advocacy of tv sellouts could 
easily give them such identifica¬ 
tion. In other words the big money 
men haVe their personal reputa¬ 
tions -at stake. 

Also looming importantly are a 
couple of intra-trade factors. 

All old pictures, of course, can’t 
be thrown on the theatre re-run 
market. But some can “clean up” 
pier Disney’s “Bambi” and “Cin¬ 
derella” each of Which drew over 
$1,500,000 on repeat. 

Related to the whole problem Is 
wrath of the Hollywood talent 
guilds. All are vigorously opposed 
to feeding the television beast. 
They feel library sales would mean 
a death blow to the production end 
of industry. It's conceivable that 
these film colony groups, who have 
an asserted right to participate in 
the proceeds from tv - sales, might 
demand such a large percentage 
as to make the deals economically. 
Unfeasible for the distribs. 


—— Continued from page 14 as 

praisal of co'nditions in the Indus- 
toy. To be sure, not ail the com¬ 
ments in the lay press have accu¬ 
rate. However; there is: ho overall 
industry bureau or group that can, 
-undertake the task of setting the 
reeprd straight. 

On a small scale, individuals 
and such , organizations as the Mo¬ 
tion Picture Assn, of America and 
the Council of Motion Picture 
Organizations have attempted to 
serve as a public relations connec¬ 
tion- for the industry, but it’s felt 
that their efforts have barely 
scratched the surface. In general 
picture biz woefully lacks overall 
public relations outlook and liason 
With publishers. 

As an example of what should 
have been, done on industry basis 
is perhaps demonstrated by a re¬ 
cent experience of Ernie Einerling, 
pub-ad chief of Loew's Theatres: 
Emerling, a frequent observer of 
press handling of film news, makes 
it his business to write to pub¬ 
lishers, editors and reporters when 
their newspapers carry either good 
or bad things about the picture in¬ 
dustry. Recently he noticed a com¬ 
ment in a midwest paper that it’s 
too bid that the film, companies dp 
not include that particular city on 
the itinerary for star tours. This 
comment prompted Emerlmg to 
write to the paper that the film com¬ 
panies would be more than happy 
to send stars to that city if; the lo¬ 
cal newspapers were more cooper¬ 
ative. He pointed out that every 
time .any performers were sent to 
the city, they were brushed off by 
the dailies. 

He indicated that star tours ate 
Costly and therefore the thesps are 
sent only to cities where they cari 
be. assured of the cooperation of 
the local; press.; Emerling’s letter 
brought a. prompt reply from the 
publisher of the news organization 
which has a virtual monopoly in 
the city. The publisher noted that 
the paper had changed its policy 
and would be happy to cover the 
activities of visiting personalities. 

- This achievement, on the sur¬ 
face, may seem insignificant, but 
if expanded on a nation-wide basis 
by an overall industry p.r. group, 
it can- accomplish a great deal, it’s 
felt; in' improving the industry’s 
relationship with the nation’s 
press; Downbeat Stories, it’s noted 
can be counteracted with facts and 
figures that will show that perhaps 
conditions aren’t as dire as they 
seem and that Hollywood, as. a 
source of theatrical films, is still 
a living and breathing centre. 

The industry, always feels that it 
is the one singled out by the press. 
However, recent stories in news¬ 
papers have spotlighted the 
troubles of the automobile and air¬ 
craft industries. Yet these indus¬ 
tries' have, not put out the; “unfair” 
sign. It's stressed that the picture 
biz ^miist. take a realistic view of 
what is. happening, if a n£ws story 
hits. the facts on the nose, there 
appears to be no sense in trying to 
disprove it. However, it’s felt that 
a realistic effort must be made tn 
present the positive, side when it 
exists. It is in this department that 
the industry appears to be woefully 
laeking. 


20th-Fox Seeks % of Heater Fee 

Oak Lawn Exhib Angry—Queries U.S. Tax Bureau 
10c Is Rental for Gear, Not Part of Admission 


While the lineup of new prod¬ 
uct does not shape as strongly as 
the year-end fare, there are sev¬ 
eral promising entries. “Farewell 
to Arms” (20th) looms as stand¬ 
out newcomer on the basis of 
three or four • initial playdates. 
“Bridge on River Kwai” (Col), at 
present playing in only three key 
cities, looks to make a mint of 
money for the company. It is still 
running schedule capacity in N.Y. 
at the Palace, with seats being sold 
past Easter, already. 1 

"Wild Is Wind” (Par) also looks 
like a comer, judging from its 
strong showings in three or four 
test engagements last month. 
“Quiet American” (UA) so far has 
been a bit uneven. “Flesh Is 
Weak” (DCA) shows some prom¬ 
ise. 

• “Long Haul” (Col), a bit spotty 
la date, has done nicely in a 
Ccuple of keys. The same com¬ 
pany’s release, “Bonjour Tristesse,” 
is disappointing thus . far. How¬ 
ever, it has been tested only in 
two key cities, N.Y. and Pliilly. 


Efforts by 20th-Fox to partici¬ 
pate in the drive-in rental of in-car 
heaters during the winter months 
has drawn an angry complaint from 
Stanford S. Kohlberg ;whb operates 
the Starlite ozoner at Oak Lawn, 
Ill. Kohlberg' also is president of 
Standord Industries which dis¬ 
tributes the Bernz-O-Matic In-Car 
heaters. . 

In a wire to 20th prexy Spyros P. 
Skouras, Kohlberg said the 20th 
demand was “disappointing and 
detrimental? to winter operations 
of drive-ins> He said he had been 
successful in convincing over 50 
ozonCrs to keep open during, the 
cpld season and that the 20th move 
“may discourage a few thousand 
more drive-ins from risking winter 
operation.” . 

In connection with his wire, 
Kohlberg said the excise tax branch 
of the U. S. Treasury had been 
consulted and had replied that “the 
charge of 10c for the use of the 
heater is in the nature of a. rental 


charge and is not considered to be 
part of the amount paid for admis¬ 
sion to your theatre.” 

Wrote Kohlberg in the wire: 
“The author of this new-effort to 
discourage a new source of reve- 
; hue from the drive-in theatres. Who 
have been closed during this sea¬ 
son in previous years,, has made a 
very serious error and should be 
reprimanded.” 

At 20th, the explanation is 
that it insists on sharing in any 
revenue from sales or services 
that, are not optional fqr pa¬ 
trons and 20th holds that the 
in-car heaters at the drive-ins 
must be rented by anyone 
coming to see the show. Were 
their rental optional, 20th 
wouldn’t ask to share in it, a 
company exec stated. He add- 
red that, in several instances, 
the. drive-ins. had dropped 
their regular prices, from 75c. 
to 50c, and had charged cus¬ 
tomers an extra. 25c. for the 
heater. 


DJS.-D.S.S.R. at Standing Gallop 

In arranging the cultural exchange treaty with the Russians the 
U. S. Government was simply opening a channel of communication 
between private American industry and the tightly controlled 
Soviet monopoly. Turner Shelton, head of the motion picture divi¬ 
sion of the U. S. Information Agency, said Monday (3). 

Shelton took an important part in the negotiations with the 
Russians re the film part ofthe agreement which, he emphasized j 
-carefully avoids the terms “exchange” and “reciprocity.” 

“What We have impressed on the'Soviets is that there must be 
a basis of equality in our film dealings with' them,” he held. 
“Obviously, such an equality does not exist now, with their features 
coming into the TJ, S. unhindered while none of our pictures have 
been sold to Russia since. 1948. The main aim is to get discussions 
going regarding the sale of our films to the Soviets: and that can 
only be done by'equalizing the current imbalance.” 

Shelton said that. In his extensive contacts With the Russian 
negotiators, it appeared to him that they had"finally abandoned 
the idea that the American industry must, (be could) guarantee 
wide distribution of Russian pictures In the States before Russia 
bought American films. e 

Significance of the new cultural agreement is that, “for the first 
time,” the American Government officially favors the sale of films 
to the Soviets. 



ThatV. N.Y. Film Companies’ Evaluation of State 
Dept. Pact With Moscow 


“It’s nothing more tlfen an 
agreement to agree.” 

That’s how an executive at one 
of the film companies last week 
characterized the new Russo-Amer-. 
ican cultural exchange pact under 
which the Soviets are to buy 
American features and documen¬ 
taries. 

At the Motion Picture Export 
Assn, nothing was known on 
whether or . not the Russians now, 
understood and appreciated the im¬ 
possibility of the kind of “recipro¬ 
city”* on which they’ve insisted in 
the past. It was said that the State 
Dept, has “impressed” this on the 
Soviet negotiators during the talks. 

MPEA prexy Eric Johnston has 
agreed to head up the negotiating 
team which is to discuss terms 
and conditions with the Russians 
in the. film field. He’s expected to 
have his first meeting this.week, 
though he’s been busy in his new 
job of publicizing the Administra¬ 
tion’s foreign aid program. 

Prior efforts to Come to an un¬ 
derstanding With the Russians re 
films have. foundered on (1.) the 
question of price, and (2.) the is¬ 
sue of reciprocity. In 1948, Eric 
Johnston, negotiated a film- deal 
with Moscow for the sale of Amer¬ 
ican films in blocks of 20 for$l v - 
[000,000 per package. The Russians 
balked at the price and, eventual¬ 
ly, couldn’t make up their fiiinds 
on more than-seven films but of 
a list of 200 submitted to them. 

Again, in late 1950, Johnston 
toured the Iron Curtain countries 
discussing film deals and: stopped 
in Moscow, where “reciprocity” 
again proved the stumbling block. 
(In New York, the feeling at 
the companies is that the new 
State Dept, exchange pact consti¬ 
tutes little more than an agreement 
on principle. Executives note that 
Soviet features are freely imported 
but enjoy limited circulation sim¬ 
ply because,' like other foreign 
films, they .are of limited appeal. 
It’s questioned to x what extent even 
the distributors could “force” Rus¬ 
sian releases into theatres.) 

In the radio-tv field, the agree¬ 
ment calls for .the following: 

An exchange of radio and televi¬ 
sion broadcasts on science, tech¬ 
nology, industry, agriculture, edu¬ 
cation, public health, and sports. 

Regular exchanges of transcribed 
classical, folk and contemporary 
music on tape and records, and ex¬ 
change of filmed musical, literary, 
theatrical and similar television 
productions. 

For the future, and in principle, 
an agreement for an exchange of 
broadcasts bn international politi¬ 
cal '‘problems* No agreement has 
been reached on the jamming of 
our broadcasts to Russia. 

Exchange of sound record and 
telecasting equipment. 

Exchange of delegations of spe¬ 
cialists to study production of pro¬ 
grams, techniques, manufacture of 
equipment, etc. * 

Government officials admit We 
ate walking on eggs on this section 
and it would be impossible for us 
to monitor Russia properly to de¬ 
termine whether it is giving our 
material the same kind of playing 
time we give theirs. 

Jt Was also admitted that the 
final decision on what to offer on 
the air must be made by the net¬ 
works and stations. Newsmen here 


expressed an opinion that networks 
might find themselves become tools 
of an Administration’s foreign pol¬ 
icy. However, Government spokes¬ 
men say they have discussed the 
matter with broadcasting officials, 
and have promises of considerable, 
support* 

The agreement also provides for 
exchanges of theatrical, dance, 
choral* and other groups, includ¬ 
ing symphony orchestras and 
great soloists in. the performing 
arts: 

Also written into the deal is an 
agreement to study direct plane 
flights between this country and 
Russia. 


Johnston tb Dicker 

Washington, Feb. 4. 

State Dept, formally announced 
last Wednesday (29) that Eric 
Johnston had been appointed to 
head the U. S. film interests in 
negotiations between the . U. S. 
and the Soviet Union for the sale 
and purchase of entertainment mo¬ 
tion pictures. 

He will work in cooperation with 
leaders of the distributors and ex¬ 
porters of American films and 
those who Want to import Soviet 
films. 

If They Want It, 
Coast Can Get 



The U. S. Government in no way 
wishes to dictate to the film in¬ 
dustry What' types of filnis should 
be. sold to the Soviet Union, 
though the Government is willing 
to offer “advice” ? if asked for it. 
That’s the word from Turner Shel- 
ton, head of the motion picture 
section for the TJ. S. Information 
Agency. 

Asked about reports that'' the 
agency had nixed the export of 
certain films to. countries in which 
the International Media Guarantee 
program is operative, i*e. Yugo¬ 
slavia, Turkey, etc,, Shelton said 
this was a horse of a different 
color in that the Media Guarantee 
plan was supported by public 
monies and it Was the agency’s 
function to protect the interests of 
the U. S. 

However, said Shelton, the 
number of pictures turned down 
by the; USIA on that basis was 
small, perhaps no more than 100 
out of a total of some 1,500 titles 
submitted. 

MUELLER & AIDES EXIT 
WB’S SOUND DEPT 

Hollywood, Feb. 4. 

William Mueller, head of the 
Warner Bros, sound department 
for the past TO years and -a 31year 
vet of the company, has exited and 
is being replaced by Georg* 
Groves, of the sound department. 

Also leaving WB are Mueller’s 
assistants, Sid Ryan, Jeny Best 
and Lloyd Goldsmith. 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


17 


Paramount 'Presents 


P»M4 t>°y 

THt %f 


PrRLfiEf?G-S£ATON 

PRODUCTION OF 



Co starring 



G»G-T6uNGt 

MaMiE VAN DorM 

"produced by VVi-Li.iANf HPE^t-SER-O' 
Directed by GeoRge SeatoN 
Written by FAY and MiCHAee KANiN 
A "Paramount "ReJease 



CLASS BY 
ITSELF 

Because They’re 
In A Class 
By Themselves! 





This is one of those truly great box- 
office comedies which can truly be said 
to be "in a class by itself." Exhibitors 
will long remember its blockbusting 
business as audiences will long 
remember its rib-busting fun. 

These tremendous boxoffice ingre¬ 
dients speak for themselves: CLARK 
GABLE as a hard-headed editor whose 



arm's been twisted to try some night 
school Journalism ... DORIS DAY as 
the marriage-minded gal who takes 
on teaching gay dog Gable some 
new tricks. 

'58's Very Forward Look in Comedy 
.is among the most powerful ticket¬ 
selling pictures ever produced by 
PERLBERG-SEATON. 


Spread the slogan! 

Get more out of life. . . Go out to a moviel 


SONGS: "Teacher’s Pet" * "Teacher’s Pet Mambo" 
“The Girl Who invented Rock and Roll” 




is_ PlttUHES 


Producers on Color t Widescreen; 

ivr _n_i „i <i _ r if _ j 


The American companies have♦ 
nixed a patent claim of Hans Karl ; 
Opfermann, a German inventor, 
Who claims that Hollywood’s Color 
and widescreen films are using a 
principle he originated. 

Opfermann says he has a color 
arrangement, graded according to 
the color values of given subsects 
arranged at specified distances 
from a camera, that will create 
depth on the screen. He patented 
the idea back in 1942 In Germany. 
The German Zeiss company at one , 
point fought the . patent, but .then 
made a deal with him. 

The American companies agree 
that the Opfermann theory is valid, 
and that they are in fact using it. 
However, they claim that the pat¬ 
ent “lacks novelty” and that, even 
if Opfermann should sue, the pat¬ 
ent claim would be found to be so 
restrictive in nature as to be use-; 
less to him. 

Two facts have yet to be estab¬ 
lished. The first is whether the 
Opfermann patent is good andrsec- 
ond, whether it has “been infringed. 
The companies have their doubts 
on the first and deny the second. 

Opfermann is currently in New 
York. He was informed of the com¬ 
panies’ rejection of his claims last 
week via the Motion Picture Assn, 
©f America. 



Columbia will release 35 fea¬ 
tures, in addition to “The Bridge 
on the River Kwai”—set for spe¬ 
cial release—during seven-month 
period of February through Au¬ 
gust. Number is said to be one of 
the largest ever distributed by Co¬ 
lumbia in a similar period. 

Broken down, lineup of releases; 
includes nine during February and | 
March, 16 during April-June and 
10 in July and August. Total of 13 
of the 35 Will be in color, seven in 
Cinemascope and one in Techni- 
rama. Schedule is as follows: 

February: “Bonjour Tristesse,” 
“Crash Landing,” “Going Steady,” 
“The World Was His Jury/’ “How 
to Murder a Rich Uncle.” 

March: “Cowboy,” “Bitter Vic¬ 
tory," “Curse of the Demon,” “The 
True Story of Lynn Stuart.” 

April: “this Angry Age,” “The 
Goddess,” “Screaming Mimi,” 
“Let’s Rock,” “Paradise Lagoon,” 
“High Flight,” “Ghost of the China 
Sea.” 

May: “Tank Force,” "Gideon of 
Scotland Yard,” “The Lineup.” 


Baby Sitter Slant 

Cleveland, Feb. 4. 

The Play; House has a special 
deal for young couples who 
can’t afford to hire a baby, 
sitter and alsu attend the 
theatre. Every Tuesday and. 
Wednesday night, Couples who 
have, the price of two admis¬ 
sions will have, their baby sit¬ 
ter fees paid. 

Also two tickets will be 
given the baby Sitter plus 50c 
in cash for the baby sitter's 
travel expenses via Cleveland 
.Transit' 



• To Irnfies, Vogel Han; 
May Sell Some of Land 

Hollywood, Feb. 4. 

This year, once its own planned' 
extensive feature production pro¬ 
gram has gotten well underway, 
Metro will throw open its studio to 
independents on a rental basis. 
Loew’s prexy Josep R. Vogel not 
only disclosed this intention to 
keep the vast Culver . City plant, as 
active as possible, but added that 
it’s his company’s intention to 
make it financially practical and 
attractive for independent pro¬ 
ducers to avail themselves of 
Metro’s extensive facilities. 

Vogel pointed to the fact that 
Metro is one of the most complete 
studios in the world, much less 
this area. “There isn’t anything 
that a producer might want that 
isn’t available right oh this lot,” 
Vogel said and then added that 
Metro will be able to at least meet, ; 
if not better, the “cost factor” in¬ 
dependents are presented with at 
other rental studios. 

in reply to reports that Loew’s 
-was contemplating selling off some 
of its Culver City Teal estate, VOgel 
said that the r studio has several 
parcels of land it could sell off, 
“but every offer we get is always 
higher than the previous one.” The 
company prexy added that it’s pos¬ 
sible that sooner or later an offer 
will cdme along, that’s so attrac¬ 
tive, particularly if the company 
needs cash, it won’t be feasible to 
turn it down, but meanwhile the 
real estate can only get more valu¬ 
able with the passage of time. 

Also in the possible future of 
the Metro studio is an Oil drilling 
project. Geologists say there’s a 
valuable pool under and around 
the studio property, and the most 
likely place to drill, the experts 
told Vogel, is right under the stu-r 
dio’s .parking lot facing the Thill- 
berg Building. 


June: “Revenge of Franken¬ 
stein,” “The Camp on Blood Is¬ 
land,” "The Seventh Voyage of 
Sirtbad” “The Case Against Brook¬ 
lyn.” “She Played with Fire,” 
“Apache Territory.” 

July: “The Key,” “Gunman’s 
Walk,” “The Whole Truth,” “For¬ 
bidden Island,” “Outlaws of Paint¬ 
ed Canyon,” “Pretty Boy Floyd.” 

August: “Me and the Colonel,” 
“The Name’s Buchanan,” “Juke 
Box Jamboree,” “The Snorkel;” 


Dicker With Cop Censors 
For Juvenile Okay On 


. Chicago, Feb. 4. 

Paramount’s “Wild is o Wind” will 
-reach its first outlying run here 
With only one deletion and not two, 
as originally demanded by Chicago 
Police Censor ^Board in exchange 
for a white ticket permitting juye 
trade. 

Only excision. for. the nabes is 
the . birth of a lamb, scene. This 
and a shot of Anna Magnaiii enter¬ 
ing Tony Franciosa’s bedroom 
prompted the censor board to give 
pic a pink ticket (adults only) for 
its current firstrun at the Par- 
owned Esquire, where “Wind” is 
expected to show for a record- 
breaking minimum of eight Weeks. 

Now in its seventh Esquire 
round, film goes to at ’■ ast £0 
nabes starting Feb. 21. 


DAN TERRELL SOUNDS 
FIFE ON/NEW METRO’ 

Metro is an unbeat mood—judg¬ 
ing from the handouts issued daily 
from the company’s abbreviated 
N.Y. publicity department. Hardly 
a day goes by without a fanfare 
about the company’s new produc¬ 
tion plans and the b.o. results of; 
its pictures currently playing in 
theatres. Such enthusiasm, hash’t 
been noticed since Metro’s trou¬ 
bles started more than two years 
ago. 

Dan Terrell’s N.Y. $taff will have 
you know, for example, that “talk 
of the industry are the excellent 
grosses being chalked up by ‘Don’t 
Go Near, the Water.’” According 
to the company, the picture has 
taken in $3,000,000 in 198 first-run 
engagements. “Raintree County,.” 
despite the so-so notices, is also 
big one; Metro says. It’s claimed, 
that in the first 50 index cities the 
picture has $1,500,000 for a total 
of 121 weeks of playing time. It’s 
said to be grossing approximately 
the same as “Teahouse of the Aug-: 
ust Moon” and “High . Society,” 
two of the company’s top releases 
in recent years, and beating “Black¬ 
board Jungle.” M-G is also high on 
the Mario Lanza starrer, “Seven 
Hills of Rome,” which is said to 
have topped the opening day gross 
of “The Great Caruso,” which, 
holds the all-time record for total 
gross at the Radio City Music Hall. 


PfiSnSTtr 

Carnegie Claims Bias, Sues 
Plaza, UJL and Loped; 
Ignored on Trosecntion’ 

Antitrust suit charging United 
Artists with illegally favoring the 
Plaza Theatre in . regard to “art” 
pictures was filed in Federal Dis¬ 
trict Court Monday. (3) by Little 
Carnegie Inc,, operators of the Lit¬ 
tle Carnegie Theatre, 

Named as defendants were 
United Artists Corp.,. Robert S. 
Benjamin, William Heineman and 
Arthur B. Krim (all UA execs); 
Robert Dowling, head of City In¬ 
vesting, the 58th St. Playhouse Inc., 
operators of the: Plaza; Max Felier- 
man and Ilya Eopert, both of Lop- 
ert Films. ... V 

Action claimed the defendants 
had personally conspired among 
one another to see that UA-.would 
turn over its ait product to the 
Plaza without giving the Little 
Carnegie a chance to acquire it. 
it charged that UA had refused to 
let the Little Carnegie bid or 
negotiate for a specific film,' “Wit¬ 
ness for r the Prosecution,” which js 
opening day-and-date tomorrow 
(Thurs.) at the Plaza, and Astor 
theatres. 

The Little Carnegie asked the 
court to enjoin UA from licensing 
any feature to the Plaza unless 
other art house have an equal op¬ 
portunity to negotiate for it. It 
also asked for damages sustained, 
Le. the court would set the amount. 
Suit was filed for the Little Carne¬ 
gie by Monroe Stein. 

It held the defendants were* in 
violation pf. the anti-trust laws, 
having offered "Witness” to the 
Plaza exclusively without permit¬ 
ting the Little Camegie ta either 
negotiate for a firstrun booking or 
even see the film. 

Suit further , asked the cburt to 
enjoin Fellerman from accepting 
employment from UA until he has 
ceased all employment from Lop- 
ert; : Fellerman works for Lopert 
Films, but books the Astor and Vic¬ 
toria theatres, which are operated 
by UA. 


SENATOR RAPS AD COPY 
FOR HORROR FILMS 

Washington, Feb. 4. 

Senator- Paul Douglas (D., Ill.) 
has declared limited area war on 
two films which he thinks should 
not be shown at a time of juvenile 
delinquency. Subject of his dis¬ 
affection are "I Was a Teen Age 
Frankenstein” and “Blood of 
Dracula” which are paired as a 
twin bill in two theatres in subur¬ 
ban Arlington County, Va. 

. In a telegram to the Arlington 
County Board, Douglas asserted: 

"In view of the terrible outbursts 
of juvenile crime, movies such as 
these , are advertised as being 
would seem to be a pandering to 
and a. stimulent of the sadistic im¬ 
pulses of impressionable boys and 
girls.” The Senator described 
himself as “horrified” by the ads. 

Wade Pearson, who manages the 
theatres and several others in 
Northern Virginia, wired Douglas, 
“the pictures are being pretty well 
received. We are not responsible 
for the advertising.” 

Grind By Day, Reserved 
Policy Nights for ‘Arms’ j 

Atlanta, Feb. 4. . 

David O. SelznickV “Farewell to 
Arms/’ got off to a running start 
Thursday _<30) at Roxy under a 
l combo grind-hard ticket policy. 
Rock Hudson, Jennifer Jones, Vit¬ 
torio de Sica starrer is being shown 
twice, in continuous shows in after¬ 
noons at $1.25 for all seats. One 
showing at night has all seats re¬ 
served,- going at $1.65 for main 
floor , and $1.25 for balcony. Roxy 
has L0Q6 se^ts, house having been 
trimmed down to that 'number 
when'.. Cinerama took . over and 
■yanked out more than 1,000 seats 
to make way for. its three booths 
rand other necegsary equipage. 

- Loews Grand Theatre has sched¬ 
uled Metro’s .“Raintree County” 
for opening Thursday (6). Theatre 
had the Elizabeth Taylor, Mont¬ 
gomery, Clift; Eva Marie Saint spec¬ 
tacular,. filmed in Metro’s new 
Camera 65 process, scheduled ear¬ 
lier in January, but held off While 
mulling a policy, including pos¬ 
sibility of road showing. It was de¬ 
cided to' grind “Raintree” and 
prices have been set at 90c for 
daytime sessions and $1.25 for 
nights. 


ITednetdayt February S, 1958 


Japs MayMoveTiIm Week’to Paris; 
Ponder Own N.Y. Office & Showcase 


Ed Seguin’ 

Continued from pace 14 
sections. They simply were film- 
page layouts, and Seguin doubts 
they contributed much, in propor¬ 
tion to their cost, to “Farewell’s” 
smash first round here. 

B&K, he said, has used other 
pages often in the -past, but “in 
addition to, not at the sacrifice of, 
amusement pages.” Working with 
a $20,000 budget for “Solid Gold 
Cadillac’s” bow last October at the 
Chicago, Seguin made sizable space 
buys on the financial and women’s 
pages, but tailored his ads especi¬ 
ally for those positions. Even so, 
Seguin feels, “we didn’t help our¬ 
selves” with those buys. 

Seguin also took cognizance of 
the make-the-most-with-what-you- 
have theme exhibitors have been 
hearing. He pointed to ads for 
“Tall Stranger”-“Oregon Passage” 
combo at the Roosevelt, one of two 
B&K action houses in the Loop. 
Copy was headlined, ’TWO of the 
BIGGEST!’ Only the theatre screen 
can bring ’em this size .. . bigger’n 
life ... real as life in Cinemascope 
and color.” 

Universal Mgt Avainst 
Proposal Rat Directors 
Most Own Shares in Co. 

The management of Universal is 
opposed to a resolution, which Will 
be presented to the stockholders at 
the annual meeting on March 12, 
requiring that every director shall 
own at least 100 shafts of common 
or preferred stock of the company. 

Resolution, included at the insist-, 
ence of minority stockholders 
Lewis and John Gilbert, excludes 
those directors who have been 
elected as the nominees of Decca 
Records, which owns 754,885 shares 
of common stock, constituting 
77.2390 of the voting securities. 

In asking stockholders to oppose 
the. Gilberts’ resolution, the man¬ 
agement said it does not believe 
that financial investment in the 
company should be made a deter¬ 
mining factor in the ^qualification 
of an individual to serve as a 
director of the company. The com¬ 
pany, the management says, might, 
as a result, be deprived of the 
services of persons who can make 
valuable contributions to the com¬ 
pany as directors. 

The Gilberts, familiar figure* at 
corporation stockholder meetings, 
have for many years campaigned 
for stock ownership among direc¬ 
tors. According to the proxy: state¬ 
ment, the directors of Universal 
own a total of 116.shares of com-: 
mon stock and 180 Of preferred 
stock. However four of the direc¬ 
tors—Milton Rackmii, Albert. A. 
Garthwaite, Harold I. Thorp and 
Samuel H. Vallance—are also 
directors of Decca Records. > 

Company has a total of 50,140 
shares of 4V4% cumulative pre¬ 
ferred stock and 927,254 Shares of 
common stock outstanding: ; 

In addition to the directors 
named, board members tip for re- 
election include Nate Blumberg, 
Alfred E. Daff, Preston Davie, John 
O’Connor, Budd Rogers and Daniel 
M. She^ffer.. 


HISTORICAL NOVELS 
HAVE PASSED HEYDAY 

Honolulu, Feb. 4. 

Novel sales generally are down, 
rion-fiction is up—and television 
actually serves to stimulate inter¬ 
est in reading and book-buying. So 
says Eric Swenson* senior editor of 
the W. W, Norton Co. who flew in 
to act as “midwife” as author Wil¬ 
liam Lederer finished his latest 
book “The Ugly American.” 

“The Francoise Sagan sort of 
things are doing well, while the 
heyday of the historical romance 
is over,” Swenson told inter¬ 
viewers. * /• . 

Asked if he recommended that 
writers have an agent, Swenson rer 
plied: "About 90% of them do— 
and should. An author needs an 
agent as soon as his manuscript is 
accepted for publication.” 


w japan may shift its annual film 
week from New York to Paris next 
year, Shiro Kido, prez of the Mo¬ 
tion Picture Assn, of Japan and of 
the Shochiku Co., said in New York 
this week. 

The second Japanese film week 
at the Museum of Modem Art end¬ 
ed last week (31) and the Japanese 
delegation felt_that it had been a 
success- both via press attention 
garnered and via commercial of¬ 
fers for some Of the pictures 
shown. 

Kido said he thought the Amer¬ 
ican market represented a consid¬ 
erable export potential for the 
Japanese industry "in ai few. years,” 
but said that, for the pioment, Eu¬ 
rope probably looked more inter- 
' esting. That’s ihe reason why, in 
1959, the film week may be set 
for Paris.” 

Kido reported that he was still 
actively examining the New York 
"art” theatre situation with a view 
to renting a house as a showcase 
for Japanese films. The Japanese 
plan seems to be to get part of the 
playing time in an established out¬ 
let. They had originally hoped to 
get four months out of the year 
at the Pathe-owned Paris Theatre. 
However, the house is not availble 
to them; . 

Japanese industry probably will 
open an office iii New York, Kido 
said. Through it, more information 
about current Japanese production 
will be channelled into the States. 
Office will also screen pix for the 
distributors. 

Kido leaves New York for Lon¬ 
don today (Wed.) to start on a six- 
week tour that will take him 
through Europe to the Near and 
Far East. On the trip, he will in¬ 
vestigate the possibility of show¬ 
cases for Japanese films and-also 
the distribution situation. He’s due 
back in Tokyo March 16. 


Soviet May Get 


!: Berlin* Feb. 4. 

! Berlin. Senate has recommended 
to the foreign ministry at Bonn 
that the Soviet Union be invited to 
participate in this year’s Berlin 
International Film Festival. 

The West German government 
.so far hasn’t taken a position on 
the recommendation. Presumably, 
the decision will have to be made 
at a high political level. 

Till now; neither the Russians 
nor any of the Communist nations 
have been asked to show their 
films in Berlin. 

Restore 1,282 Seats Of 
Cinerama to Capacity 
(3,000) at Seattle Par 

Seattle, Feb. 4. 

Paramount Theatre reverts to 
Evergreen Circuit Feb. 6th which 
leaves Stanley Warner’s 1 Cinerama 
operation 10 days to move out its 
equipment, following closing of the 
hbuse as a Cinerama outlet. 
Evergreen Theatre&’will then start 
conversion to regular picture pol- 
jicy, details to be revealed later. 
Not determined as to when re¬ 
opening will he possible. 

Normal seating is over 3,000, the 
city’s largest cinema, but cut. 
down for cinerama to 1,282. For¬ 
mer seating capacity will be re¬ 
stored. 



The Man Says 


Chicago, Feb. 4. 

Elm Theatre, suburban Elmwood 
Park indie, has pulled a switch by 
reverting to a seven-day operation 
after four years as a weekends- 
only house. Upswing at the boxof- 
fice of late, coupled with a san¬ 
guine biz outlook by owner Basil 
Charuhas, are-said to have prompt¬ 
ed the move. 

Elm, which Charuhas built in 
1937, is undergoing considerable 
refurbishing.. New drapes, curtains 
and a wider screen are already in, 
with lobby touches and the canopy 
next in line. Cost will total about 
$5,000 when completed. 



Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


PfiatiEfr 


BB SHARPSHOOTER 

(Business Building, 
of course) 


What's dll the shootin' about? 


Why is the Prize Baby posing for this picture with his sights set on 
your boxoffice? 

Simply to remind you that he's doing it every day of the week—and 
furnish the proof that he's hitting the target with the most success at 
the least cost! 


Yet, the Prize Baby is only as good as his high calibre ammunition 
—42.9 gauge trailers*—by far, the most surefire in the entire show¬ 


manship arsenal! 














20 


PICTURES 


PfatlEtff 


’Wednesday, February's. 195# 


Film Reviews 


Continued -from page 6 ; 


Spanish Affair 

players who ate unknown to Amer¬ 
ican audiences. Hence, the pic¬ 
ture’s potential will have to be 
fiuilt largely upon word-of-mouth. 

The Richard Collins screenplay, 
for the most part, is merely a de¬ 
vice to bring the vistas of Madrid, 
Barcelona, El Escorial, Toledo, 
Segovia, the Costa Brava country 
and Tbssa de Mars before the cam¬ 
eras. “Guides” on this Cook’s tour 
are Kiley. an American architect 
in Spain on business, and Carmen 
Sevilla who accompanies him as an 
interpreter. A Madrid office work¬ 
er of gypsy ancestry, she agrees to 
go along, tor a daily fee. 

Naturally. Jose Guardiola, a 
gypsy to whom Miss Sevilla is en¬ 
gaged, feels that her business trip 
with Kiley is certainly no old 
Spanish custom,. Accordingly he 
trails the Couple for the. prime pur¬ 
pose of killing the American. 
There’s an element of suspense ip 
the chase that develops. But it’s 
more than obvious that Kiley and 
Miss. Sevilla will soon discover a 
mutual affection and it's also clear 
that .Guardiola will* eventually be. 
left at the romantic post. 

Under Donald Siegel's brisk di¬ 
rection, cast turns in some credita¬ 
ble performances. Kiley is the : 




man-—quiet, taciturn, yet redblood- 
ed enough when the occasion calls 
for it. Miss Sevilla, a top European 
star, represents ideal casting in the 
girl’s role. Her sexy carriage, plus 
her ability to sing and dance, are 
amply showcased. With suitable, 
vehicles, she could well become the 
Spanish equivalent of Brigitte 
Bardot. 

Capable support for this English- 
dialog release is provided by Jesus 
Tordesillas as a Madrid associate 
of Kiley’s, Jose Marco Davo as Miss 
Sevilla’s father and Rafael Farina 
as a flamenco singer, among others. 
Top asset is the physical values 
provided by producer Odium who 
co-produced this venture with 
Spain’s CEA Studios and indie 
film-maker Benito Perojo. As 
aforementioned the color photogra¬ 
phy of Sam Leavitt is outstanding. 

Also enhancing the overall Iber¬ 
ian atmosphere are Daniele Amfi- 
theatrof’s score, art direction of 
Hal Pereira and Tambi Larsen as 
well as the sound recording by 
Harry Lindgren: and Winston Lev- 
erett. Tom McAdoo’s editing is 
good as are other technical credits. 
Mack David and Amfitheatrof au¬ 
thored “The Flaming Rose,” a so- 
so ballad which Miss Sevilla ap¬ 
pealingly sings.- Gilb. 


I Accuse! 

(BRITISH—C’SCOPE) 


Standout stellar cast in a 
dramatic story based on fa¬ 
mous Dreyfus case makes 
this a sound b.o. prospect for 
thoughtful audiences. 


London, Feb. 4. 

Metro production (Sam Ziirbalist) and 
release. Stars Jose Ferrer, Anton Wal- 
brook. Viveca Lindfors, Leo Genn, Emlyn 
Williams, David Farrar, Donald Wolfit, 
Herbert Lom. Directed, by Jose Ferrer. 
Screenplay, Gore Vidal, from book by 
Nicholas Halasz; editor, FraDk' Clarke; 
camera, F. A. Young; music. William 
Alwyn. At Metro Private Theatre, London. 
Banning time,. 99 MINS. 


Alfred Dreyfus 

Major Esterliazy. 

Lucie Dreyfus ....'.. 

Major. Picquart ........ 

EtnileZola .. 

Mathieu Dreyfus. ....... 

General Mercier. 

Major Du Paty De Clam 
Major Henry ........ 

Edgar Demange.... 

Georges Clemenceau 


- Jose Ferr-ir 

Anton Waibrook 
. Viveca Lindfors 
Leo Genn 
Emlyn Williams 
... David Farrar 
... .Donald .Wolfit 
Herbert Lom 
Harry' Andrews 
... Felix Aylmer 
Peter Uling 


Colonel Sandherr . George Coulouris 

Colonel Van Schwarzkoppen Carl Jaffe 

Bcrtillon - .Rvic Pphlmann 

Drumont ... - John Qhandos 

Prosecutor (1st reyfus Trio' 

Ernest Clarke 

Judge.:.. . —...... Anthony Ireland. 

Prosecutor < sterhazy Trial) John Phillips 
Judge .. Laurence Kaismith 

Prosecutor (2d Dreyfus 

Michael Hordern 


Judge__ 

Capt. Avril ........... 

Capt. Brossard__ 

Capt. Leblanc ...... 

Capt. Lauth 
English Publisher .; 
President of France 


Keith Pyott 
.... Ronald Howard 
Charles ..Gray 
.... Michael Anthony 
. - Arthur Howard 
Michael Trubshawe 
..... Malcolm Keen 


The drama of the Dreyfus case, 
one of the greatest miscarriages of 
justice in history, has once again 
captured the imagination of the 
film producers and the latest ver¬ 
sion, “I Accuse!” makes strong, if 
plodding entertainment. A top 
stellar cast has been assembled to 
do justice to .a story which st'll 
commands interest, even if famil¬ 
iarity has robbed it of much, of its 
initial impact. Both in Britain and 
U.S. “I Accuse!” should prove a 
worthwhile booking for intelligent 
audiences. 

Briefly, the story concerns, the 
plight of a Jewish staff officer of 

the French Army who is unjustly __ o . .„.. 

accused of .treason, found gui’ty linglytolife .when.the'gyhsyrplayed 
througlv being framed - to save the = by Melina. Mercouri, is on the. 


imprisonment oh Devil’s Island, 
Friends fighting to restore his tar¬ 
nished honor force a re-trial. For 
political reasons, lie is offered a 
pardon and, a broken man, he ac¬ 
cepts though it means .-that he is 
branded as a. traitor' In the end, 
the real culprit confesses and Drey¬ 
fus returns to theArmy in triumph, 

Jose Ferrer has taken on the 
heavy task of playing both therole 
of Dreyfus "and of directing. His 
performance is a wily, ’ impeccable 
one, but it comes from the intellect 
rather than. the heart and rarely 
causes pity. He makes Dreyfus a 
staid, almostrfanatical patriot and, 
with great subtlety, suggests a 
mental torture of the victim. 

Ferrer has directed methodically 
and with immense attention to. de¬ 
tail in characterization. The action 
is throughout rather static, but the 
court scenes are pregnant 1 with, 
drama, thanks to a' literate screen¬ 
play by Gore Vidal'. 

Ferrer is backed up by a top- 
ranking .cast arid critical hods must 
go' at least to a number of dis¬ 
tinguished players; Anton Wai¬ 
brook, the- real culprit, gives n 
splendid performance—suave,, deb¬ 
onair and fascinating. : And equally 
impressive is Donald Wolfit as the 
Army’s top guy who claims that 


more important than the fate of 
one man. Emlyn Williams, as Zola; 
David Farrar, as Dreyfus’s brother; 
Leo Genn, as the officer who be¬ 
lieves in his innocence; #arry An¬ 
drews, Herbert Lom r . George Cou- 
loiiris, Felix Aylirier and Peter 
filing are also standouts iri a large, f- 
well-balanced cast Viveca Lind¬ 
fors plays Dreyfus’s wife—the only 
prominent woman in the cast—and 
she handles both the gaiety arid the 
sadness of the role with dignity. 

Technically, the film is okay. 
Though “Accuse” may not appeal 
to mass audiences, it has a strength 
and purpose which bring fresh 
lustre to a well-tried story; 

Rich. . 


The Gypsy And The 
Gentleman — 

(BRITISH—COLOR) 


Lusty costume ineller which 
breaks rib. new ground but is 
swept along by some fine per¬ 
formances; should sing sweet 
b.o. music, 


London. Jan. 28. 

Rank Film Distributors release of Rank 
(Maurice Cowan) production.. Stars Melina 
Mercouri, . Keith MicheU, Flora Robson. 
Directed by Joseph Losey. Screenplay hy 
Janet Greenfrom Nina Warner Hooke’s 
novel, “Darkness I Leave You”; camera. 
Jack Hildyard; editor, Reginald Beck;, 
music, Hans May. At Odeon, Leicester 
Square. London, Jan. 15, '58. Running 


time, 107 MINS: 

BeUe .. 

Deverill .. 

Jess ...... 

Sarah 

John .. 

Mrs. Haggard :.. 
Vanessa , 

Lady Ayrton' .... 
Ruddock: : 

Brook 

Duffin _ 

Hattie .......- 

Forrester 

GOCO___ . . .. 


Melina Mercouri 
...... Keith MicheU 

Patrick McGoohan 
,. . June Laverick 

..... Lyndon Brook 

...... Flora Robsoir 

....... Clare Austin 

Helen Haye 
..... Newton Blick 

..Mervyn Johns 

_.. John Salew 

.. Catherine FeUer 
. Laurence Naismith 
..... Louis'. Aquiliha 


Harking, back to the British film 
days of such successful pix as “The 
Wicked Lady" and “The Mail in 
Grey,” there Is genuine reason to 
believe that “Gypsy” may. make an 
equal financial sweep in Britain. 
Nevertheless; this is a dusty, 
sprawling, no-holds-barred costume 
melodrama, which utilizes every 
possible cliche in the romantic 
“meller” hook. Yet it has appeal 
because of its simple attack on 
b.o. potentiality; It gets away with 
it because. a good cast plays it for 
more than it is worth. The slightest 
case of “tongue-in-cheek” and this 
old-fashioned drama would have 
fallen flat, on its face. 

Some indication of the type of 
film it is can perhaps be indicated 
by the fact that the hero is a 
roistering: aristocratic playboy of 
the Regency period with the un¬ 
likely, but. inevitable name of Sir 
Paul DeverilL With a huge estate 
and no dough* he is embarked on 
a squander-lust round of pleasure 
which consists mainly of gambling, 
wenching and hitting the bottle. 

About to enter .into a loveless, 
but profitable marriage, he be¬ 
comes, involved with a fiery gypsy- 
golddigger who so intrigues him 
that he marries her. She -is not 
unnaturally rightly provoked when, 
she finds that he has no money, but 
many debts. From then on, the film 
is. a disarming piece, of mumbo- 
jumbo which involves a lot of rid¬ 
ing and face-slapping, vandalism, 
forging of a---will,.kidnapping of an 
heiress arid, similar rollicking 
hokum, _. 

This over-long film comes start- 


ality-plus actress with blazing eyes, 
a wide smile and all the Impudence: 
in the World; She strides through 
the film like a hopped-up Lady 
Macbeth, spreading sex, sin and 
sorrow with art abandon that will 
leave all but the most avid fan 
completely exhausted. Miss Mer¬ 
couri, in , previous more subtle 
films, had proved her talent. In 
“The Gypsy” she has a field day, 
bringing, a verve to a tired script 
for which the director and pro¬ 
ducer should be highly grateful. 
And apparently she inspired the 
.remainder of the cast to similar 
zest. ; 

.Keith- MicheU plays -the infat¬ 
uated rake at a hell-for-leather pace 
while Patrick McGoohan, as the 
gypsy in league with him, tutns in 
a four-star piece of villainy. By 
contrast. Flora Robson, as a dis¬ 
tinguished actress; June Laverick,. 
as the innocent girl Who suffers 
because. of her brother’s infatua¬ 
tion for Miss Mercouri, and Lyif- 
don Brook; as her rather dull 
doctor-suitor are rather in a minor 
key...There are also some shrewd 
little performances by Mervyn 
Johns; as a rascally lawyer; New¬ 
ton. Blick, as a local squire; arid 
Catherine Feller, as a housemaid. 

Since, the .dialogue in such fre¬ 
netic items rarely reaches a dis¬ 
tinguished level of sophistication, 
director Joseph Losey has sensibly 
played for situation and. emotional 
violence. The atmosphere of the 
period has been faithfully evoked 
both. in costume and by Relph 
Brintbn’s art work and Jack; Hild- 
yard’s color photography. Only 
once does the film break down 
technically. That is wheri the stars 
are hurled to their death in a river 
as their , coach breaks through a 
bridge. • Rich. 


nical credits are by and large good. 
There are some deflciences that 
detract, however. Shots of “Lisbon” 
air port were obviously taken at 
Los Angeles and no trouble has 
been taken to disguise this fact 
with background planes clearly 
marked “Western Air Lines,” etc. 
Also, in the sea rescue scene, the 
rim of the studio tank is plainly 
visible in the rear of the actiori. 

Pow. 


Going Steady 

Bright, funny exploitation item, 
dealing in light-handed, man¬ 
ner with parent-teenage prob¬ 
lems. Good prospects. 


Crash Landing 

Talk overshadows action in 
ovfer-plotted melodrama about 
a trans-atlantic plane ditching. 
Routine . destination. 


Columbia release of Clover Production. 
Sam Katzman producer. Stars Gary Mer- 
.rill, Nancy Davis? features Irene Hervey, 
Roger Smith. Directed by Fred F. Sears. 
Screenplay. . Fred Freiberger; camera, 
Benjamin. H. Kline; music. Mischa Baka- 
leinikoff; editor. Jerome Thoms. Pre¬ 
viewed •. Jan. 23, ?58. Running time, 7* 
MINS. 

Steve-Williams .,...Gary Merrill 

Helen Williams ............ Nancy Davis 

Bernice. Willouby ; Irene Hejrvey 

John Smlthback.-....Roger Smith 

Nancy Arthur _......... Bek- Nelson 

Ann Thatcher ............. Jewell Lain 

Howard Whitney..... .Sheridan Comerate 

Jed Sutton ............... Richard Newton 

Arthur .White Richard Keith 

Mrs. Ortega ,... 1_Celia Lovsky 

Maurice Stanley ...V..... Lewis' Martin 

Calvin Havelick .......-... Hal Torey. 

PhU Burton ,............ John McNamara 

Adele. Burton :...... Dayle - Rodney 

Carlos Ortego Rodolfo Hoyos 

Barrie WiUiams .. ....;. ... Kim Chamey 

Teddy Burton — Robin Warga 

Red .Robert Whiteside 

Mel ................. - Ronald Green 


Hollywood, Jari, 29. 

Columbia release of . Clover Production. 
Stars Molly Bee. Alan Reed Jr,t co-*tars: 
Irene Hervey, Bill Goodwin; features Ken 
Miller, Susan Easter, Linda Watkins, 
Byron Foulger, Hugh Sanders, Florence 
Ravenel,-Ralph Moody, Produced, by. Sam 
Katzman. Directed by Fred F. Sears, 
Screenplay, Budd Grossman; from a story 
by Budd Grossman, Sumner A. Long; 
camera, Benjamin H. Kline; music, Mischa 
Bakaleinikoff; editor, Charles Nelson. 
Previewed at the studio, Jan. 27, ’5?, 
Running time, 82 MINS. 

Julie Ann ....Molly Bee 

Calvin Potter .. Alan Reed Jr. 

Gordon Turner ....... Bill Goodwin 

Grace Turner :.. Irene Hervey 

Woody Simmons. Ken Miller 

Olive Nelson .,...-. Susan Easter 

Aunt Lola ............... Linda Watkins 

Mr. Potter. Bvron Foulger 

Mr: Ahern . .. Hugh Sanders 

Mrs. Potter ..Florence Ravenel 

Justice of the Peace........Ralph Moody 

Arthur Priestley ...;-.. .Carlyle Mitchell 


tain exploitational values, but lack 
of draw names and only a middling 
interesting .plotline keep it from 
anything more than ~a routine en. 
try for smaller program situations. 

Rawlins, who also directs from 
the Milton Subotsky screenplay, 
doesn’t clothe his characters with 
much sympathy, particularly role 
enacted by Jeffery Lynn, a middle- 
aged man harassed by an extrava¬ 
gant, wife who goes to her hard- 
boiled brother for a loan to pay his 
big insurance premium. Out at sea 
between Miami and Nassau, where 
pair discuss the request on 
brother's fishing boat, a storm 
comes up and craft founders 
Brother gets back to mainland 
okay, but Lynn is washed up oh a 
small cay where he finds Leila 
Barry, and he sets up a partnership 
m operation of a holiday resort A 
romance develops* but after an in¬ 
surance investigator locates miss¬ 
ing. man Lynn returns to his wife 
while young femme marries a for¬ 
mer sweetheart. 

Lynn appears overly stern in his 
role, but Miss Barry makes a nice 
impression. Balance of top roles, 
portrayed! by Peter Donat as lat¬ 
ter’s boy friend, Doin Gibson, 
Roger Clark and Jane Hartley, are 
stoic. Hubert Smith and His Coral 
Islanders, dish up some rhythmic 
calypso tunes. 

. . Technical credits are adequate. 

Bright and breezy as the teen- ihcluding^Harry W. Smith’s piiotog- 
agers it chronicles -“Going Steadv” , editing by David Rawlins. 


Army’s face, and'condemricd to life 1 Screen.. HiS^e Js a flashing, person-kunder the circumstances and tech- 


“Crash Landing,” a Clover, pro¬ 
duction for Columbia, is an attempt 
to duplicate on a small budget the 
kind. of story and excitement con¬ 
tained' in “The High. And The 
Mighty,” Sam KatZman’s produc¬ 
tion, directed by Fred F., Sears, 
does not come off, mostly because 
there is more talk than: action with 
the result that the dangers inher¬ 
ent in a crippled plane past the 
point of no return in the Atlantic 
do not come over well to the 
audience.. Starring Gary Merrill 
and Nancy Davis, it's below par for 
the Katzman pennant, 

Fred Freiberger’s script has 
assembled the customary contrast¬ 
ing characters called for in this 
kind Of “Grand Hotel” theme. 
There is the pilot, Gary Merrill, a 
martinet in his job and his home, 
who pains his wife,. Nancy Davis; 
by his insistence that his music- 
loving son, young Kim Charney, 
also be a boy of action. ‘ » 

.The passengers include: a retired 
businessman, Ldwis Martin, who 
has never really lived attracted to 
a pretty school-teacher, Irene 
Hervey, who might correct that 
oversight. Richard Keith is. the 
rugged tycoon up from the streets 
who delights iri bullying his Har¬ 
vard-bred associate, Hal Toirey; 
who in turn turns, to. drink. An 
elderly Portuguese grandmother, 
C.eliA Lovsky, is on her first flight 
to America to see her grandchild 
dren; there, is a Greek Orthodox 
priest in his imposing robes played 
by Frederich Ledebur-and two 
chorus girls, Joan Bradshaw and 
Brandy Bryan, among others. 

Nobody gets killed when the 
plane ditches after rendezvousing 
with a U.S. destroyer arid nobody 
is hurt. The outcome is supposed 
to. show ; how the experience has 
changed ail those involved. The 
interest and effectiveness is pre¬ 
mised On throwing together odd 
types; chorus girl and priest, busi¬ 
nessman arid teacher. But it is 
done, with language so rich, in 
cliches that the characters are just 
that, not real people. The late 
Fred Sears’ direction is best wheri. 
he is free of the script to impro¬ 
vise. 

The cast does a capable job 


has a sharp, attractive title for the 
younger set it is aimed at and 
should, more than satisfy the kids 
as a presentation of their attitudes 
and problems. The Sam Katzman 
production for Columbia, directed 
by Fred F. Sears, actually has a 
rather serious story—a secret mar¬ 
riage between high school seniors 
and the situations arising out of an 
immediate pregnancy. 

Handled as farce, the lines are 
pointed and funny, and the adults 
shown are presented with as much 
sympathy and intelligence as the 
youngsters. With Molly Bee and 
young Alan Reed Jr. top-starred, 
“Going Steady” will be a strong 
exploitation item. It is to be tearped 
wiih the same outfit’s “Crash Land¬ 
ing” as a package. 

If thefe is a weakness in Budd 
Grossman's screenplay, which is 
from an original story he co- 
authored with Sunnier A. Long, is 
that it is short on plot. The story 
is episodic with the feel of a TV 
comedy series about it, proceeding 
from one minor crisis or laughline 
to another without really building 
to any genuine climax. But the 
episodes are amusing in them¬ 
selves as young Miss Bee persuades 
her parents. Bill Goodwin and 
Irene Hervey, to allow her to ac¬ 
company the high school basket¬ 
ball team on an. out-of-town game 
then secretly iriarries her “steady,” 
Alan Reed Jr., while away. The 
situations are routine: son-in-law 
irioving in with father-in-law; 
father-in-law choking over son-in- 
law’s gift , of cigars; double mean¬ 
ings and misunderstandings when 
Miss Bee discovers she's pregnant. 
But Grossman has set up good 
laugh situations arid contrived a 
great many funny lines. The late 
Fred Sear's direction paces the 
show so that all possible filri is 
extracted from both lines and sit¬ 
uations. 

Miss Bee does no singing in the 
picture itself but she delivers a 
warm interpretation of an unusu¬ 
ally good title song (by Fred 
Karger and Richard Quine) behind 
the main titles. Her acting is nat¬ 
ural and Ingratiating. Reed, in his 
debut in a major role, shows him¬ 
self a good-looking man with a 
flair for comedy who also. acquits 
himself ably in the few serious 
moments: Most of the comedy rests 
on Bill Goodwin and Irene Hervey 
arid the two veterans handle it with 
ease and charm. They also generate 
a pleasant mood with appealing 
scenes of. middle-aged romance. 
Others in the cast who stand out 
include Ken Miller, Susan Easter, 
Linda Watkins, arid Hugh Sanders. 

The slick technical credits in¬ 
clude Benjamin H. Kline's camera 
work, editing by Charles Nelson 
and John Livadary's sound. 

Pow. 


.- Whit. 


Fort Bowie 


Fast Cavalry-Indians actioner 
for good response. in western 
market. 


Lost Lagoon 

United Artist* release of John Rawlins 
production. Stars Jeffrey Lynn; features 
Peter Donat, Lelia Barry. Directed by 
Rawlins. Screenplay, Milton Subotsky;. 
camera’, Harry W. Smith; editor, David 
Rawlins; music,. Hubert Smith,. Terry 
Brannon; Previewed Jan. 27, '58. Run¬ 
ning time, .80 MINS. 

Charlie WalkCr...; Jeffrey Lynn 

David Burnham ....:.. Peter Donat 

Elizabeth Moore ............. Leila Barry 

Bernadine Walker ......... Jane Hartley 

Millard Cauley ......... ... . Roger Clairk 

Mr. Beakins Don Gibson 

Colima ........ Celeste Robinson 

Natives..Stanley. Seymour, Isabelle Jones 


The Caribbean, where this John 
Rawlins production was filmed, 
provides the backdrop for this 
story of a mail reported lost at sea 
who eiribarks upon a new life on a 
tropical island; Subject carries cer- 


Hollywood, Jan. 30. 

United Artists .release. . of Aubrey 
Schenck production. Stars Ben Johnson. 
Jan Harrison, Kent Taylor, Jana Davi; 
features Larry Chance, J. Iaii Douglas. 
Directed by Howard W. Koch. Screen¬ 
play, Maurice Tombragel; camen-i, Carl 
E. Guthrie; editor; John A. Bushelman; 
music, Les Baxter. Previewed Jan. 29, 
'58. Running time, 80 MINS. 

Captain Thompson^.....Ben Johnson 

AlRson Garrett . Jan Harrison. 

Colonel Garrett Kent Tavlor 

Chenzana ... Jane Davi 

Vlctorio ..... . ........... Larry Chance 

Major-Wharton .......... J. Ian Douglas 

Sergeant Kukus Peter Mamakos 

Lt. Maywood Jerry Frank 

Mrs, Maywood .; . Barbara Parry 

A Gentleman .Ed Hinton 

A Sergeant ... . Johnny Western 


Bel-Air’s ^vrap-up release for 
United Artists comes through 
exciting U.S; Cavalry-Indians yarn 
which may expect okay reception 
in the western market; Good situa¬ 
tions are developed arid film car-' 
ries the type of fast- action to keep 
outdoor fans engaged. 

Director Howard W. Koch’s un- 
foldment of the Aubrey Schenck 
production is punchy as he makes 
handsome use of the troopers’ con¬ 
stant clashes with the Apaches, the 
Maurice Tombragel screenplay de¬ 
velops conflict between Kent Tay¬ 
lor, commandant of Fort Bowie, and 
Ben Johnson, one of his officers 
whom he wrongfully; thinks has 
been romancing his beautiful wife. 
Jari Harrison. This element com¬ 
bined with the military action 
makes for" a well-playing melo¬ 
drama that allows good perform¬ 
ances right, down the.line. 

Film gets off to an unusual start 
when a detachment of Cavalry 
under an ambitious major, a politi¬ 
cal appointee on his first patrol, 
slaughters a band of Indians about 
to surrender peacefully. Johnson, 
a captain under' this officer, is 
helpless to prevent the cold¬ 
blooded killing, which tees off the 
Apaches’ campaign of revenge. 
After the colonel’s wife falsely tells 
her husband, whom she no longer 
loves, that Johnson had tried to 
make love, to her while bringing 
her back to the fort from TucsOn, 
Johnson is sent on the suicidal 
mission of finding the Indian leader 
to demand his surrender. A switch 
is made from usual films of thi 
category by having the cavalry 
storm their own fort,after Indians 
have captured it. 

Johnson delivers acceptably and 
Taylor handles, his colonel role 
well. Miss Harrison, a. .blonde 
looker, is. convincing as. the wife, 
who wants only to get away from 
the frontier that frightens her, hut 
who returns to her husband’s side 
as they face death together in the. 
Indian attack. Jana . Davi is effec¬ 
tive as an Apache girl in love with: 
Johnson, P. Ian Douglas creditably 
portrays the politically-appointed 
officer wiped out with his whole 
detachment when he misjudges 
Indian strategy, and Larry Chance 
is strongly cast as Victorio, Apache, 
chief. Peter Mamakos alscr scores 
as a sergeant. 

Technical departments are com¬ 
petently executed, leading off with 
Carl E. Guthrie’s photography, Les 
Baxter’s music score arid John A. 
JBushelman's editing. White. 





































































Hcmus 


Wednesday, Febroary 5, 1958 




Hcmus si 


r 


•Japanese ‘Weds’ Better-JutOddlyKckedj 


. Japan’s second annual film, festi¬ 
val, which wound up six nights of 
screening (over two weeks) at 
Manhattan's Museum of Modern 
Art last week (31), spotlighted 
continuing technical and artistic 
improvements in the Japanese out¬ 
put and reflected the measure of 
“westernization” that has become 
characteristic of postwar Japanese 
life. * 

Though there was criticism, par¬ 
ticularly. of the product selec¬ 
tion, and Some walkouts, observers 
generally found the festival su¬ 
perior in content and arrange¬ 
ments to last year. Tied in with 
the visit of six Japanese stars, it 
was a publicity boon to the Japa¬ 
nese. 

The Tokyo delegation reported 
that independents had initiated 
talk for several of the films ex¬ 
hibited, which contrasts with last 
year when there were virtually no 
negotiations. Rising American in¬ 
terest in “offbeat”. pix in part is 
credited for the renewed attention 


U. S. distributors have been giving 
the Japanese attractions. 

Inasmuch as the. Japanese them¬ 
selves had dubbed the event a 
“commercial” one, designed. pri¬ 
marily to. stimulate interest within 
the trade, lack of proper editing 
for length and the lack of intel¬ 
ligible subtitles were noticeable 
defects. 

On the credit side were the truly 
extraordinary color effects achieved 
in some of the entries,- the com¬ 
petent camera work , and, in sev¬ 
eral instances, the delicate nature 
of theme and treatment. I 

No Consultation 1 

The Americans recognize the 
problems faced by the Japanese 
in compiling a list of suitable pic¬ 
tures for such an occasion and 
there was a good deal of sympa¬ 
thetic comment. But many in N. t. 
puzzled that the Japanese indus¬ 
try, iii the light of last, year’s ex¬ 
perience, didn’t seek, closer con¬ 
sultation. 


According to Shiro Kido,. prez 
of the Motion Picture Assn, of 
Japan, each of the six participat¬ 
ing companies picked , two films 
and then elicited American opin¬ 
ions on which of the two was most 
suitable. 

Entry which occasioned the 
greatest surprise and the most neg¬ 
ative reaction was Shin To.ho’s 
“Emperor Meiji and the Great 
Russo-Japanese War,” which was 
“nationalistic” in tone and poor in 
execution. However, Shin-Toho 
had great success with the film in 
Japan and had no other picture 
available. ' ] 

Length of the respective . pic¬ 
tures, with some running over¬ 
board and others too short, falling 
in between normal American short 
subject and full feature length, was. 
a subject of comment not only be¬ 
cause of the difficulty of scheduling 
such films, but also because of the 
effects on the’viewer. “The Light¬ 
house,” for instance, with Hideko 
Takamine^ Japan’s top star, Was 


rated okay except for its extraordi¬ 
nary length. 

“What the Japanese need is a 
good editor,” commented one of 
the distributors. “Some of these 
films, if tightened properly, could 
be okay for us.” 

Problem, however* isn’t merely 
a technical one but a question of 
culture. Pictures,-in themes, di¬ 
rection and acting, reflect the na-; 
tive environment not only pictori- 
ally, but also in terms of tempo 
and approach. - The acting in sev¬ 
eral films was mannered for Yank 
taste. The delineation of “good” 
and “evil” was. at times too obvi¬ 
ous. 

“The Lord Takes a Bride,” a 
Bride,” a Japanese period comedy, 
pleased many because it departed 
from the heavy emotional tack and 
explored into a different, and for 
Americans more readily, under¬ 
standable direction. On the other 
hand, the dramatic “Down Town,” 
billed as a short despite its 59- 
minute runningtime, captured all 


that is best in Japanese pictures. 

The Americans realize that, more 
than any other importing country, 
Japan must rely on purely "native” 
appeal in crashing the G. S. mar¬ 
ket, i.e., no consideration whatever 
is given at the time of production 
whether or not a given film will 
appeal in the States. Japanese’' 
successes here in the past have 
been on originality and, in the 
case of “Gate of Hell,” from the 
extraordinary color. 

There is a feeling that the Japa¬ 
nese'industry would be wise, in 
future festivals, to adapt itself to 
the known demands of the Ameri¬ 
can market both via the selection 
of films with a view less to in- 
; dividual company representation. 

Attendance ai all of the screen¬ 
ings was heavy, though walkouts 
attested to the fact that quality 
and running time didn't always 
please the audience. One program 
Tan fully 180 minutes, with the 
feature alone (Story of Chikamat- 
sti) accounting for 102 minutes. 


Japanese Festival Reviews 


Down Town 

(JAPANESE) 


Toho Co. production. Stari Isuzu Y«- 
mada, Toshiro Mifune, Harunorl Kame- 
tani; features Haruo Tanaka, Chieko 
Murata, Directed by Yasuki Chiba; from 
an original story by Fumlko Hayashi; 
camera. Rokuro Nishigaki; music. Akira 


Though it is an awkward length, 
for American theatres, “Down 
Town” is the kind of Japanese film, 
that audiences have come to expect 
since “Rashomop,” Which paved 
the postwar way for Japanese pic¬ 
tures in the States; It’s an affect¬ 
ing, tender little; story, acted to 
perfection and directed in a simple, 
realistic style that scores... 

Film tells of a poor but attrac¬ 
tive. woman who Sells tea. She 
strikes up a friendship with a 
laborer which, blossoms into a quiet 
love. The man, the woman and her 
little boy go downtown 1 for an out-, 
ing and spend the.night in Tokyo. 
The next day, when she arrives at 
his shack, she finds lie has been 
killed in a truck crash.. 

A wealth of detail has been 
woven into this simple story fabric, 
and the action is wholly believable 
to Western eyes. Isuzu Yamada 
gives a warm and. many-faceted 
performance that implies a^host of 
under-th e-surf ace emotions: To¬ 
shiro Mifune plays the laborer with 
skill and little Harunori Kametani' 
is enchanting as the boy. 

Director Yasuki Chiba has turned 
out a perceptive and Well-balanced, 
film that registers. down the line 
and his actors act- and react West¬ 
ern-style/ There is in this picture 
a lot of screen poetry as the two 
principals shed for a while their 
mantle of poverty and enjoy life, 
the boy and one another. Via under¬ 
statement; and fine black-and- 
white lensing, this Toho production 
is a standout entry.. Hift. 


The Temptress 

(JAPANESE—COLOR) 


Nikkatsu Corp. production: produced by 
Masayuki- Takagl, Stars Yumejl Tsukioka, 
Ryoji Hayama; features Tadashi Kobaya- 
shi,- Ichijiro Obya, Jun. Hamamura, Aki- 
take Khono. Directed by Eisuke Takiza^va; 
screenplay,. Tosbio Yazumi from original- 
. story by Kyoka lzumi: Camera (Eastman- 
color*. Minoru Ybkoyama. Running time, 
•7 MINS. 


There is about this Japanese 
legend a beauty and simplicity that 
makes the film unique in its appeal. 
Unfortunately, it falls short of the 
kind of enchantment that might 
have made it a sock entry for the 
art houses. . 

Rarely have the Japanese 
achieved the kind of color effects 
that are on display in. “The Temp¬ 
tress.” Tint tones, are muted to 
perfectly fit the mood of. the story 
and often achieve the quality of 
paintings., Wilderness setting of 
the yarn gives the color camera, a 
chance to display its potential to 
the fullest. 

Star of the piece is the beautiful 
Yumeji Tsukioka. Who plays the 
temptress, married to a dwarf and 
free to love men but hot fall in 
love With them; As lovers come 
and go; they’re transformed into 
animals. There arrives. Ryoji: Hay¬ 
ama, a young priest, and the story 
deals with their mutual attraction. 
In the end, she sacrifices herself 
for his sake as her home, goes up 
in flames. ' 

Director Eisiike Takizawa has 
caught the unreal quality of the 


legend, though some of the . per¬ 
formances are overdrawn. The 
fascination of this film is in the 
visual effects, from the steaming 
waters to’ Hayama’s travel through 
the forest where leeches drop from 
the trees. Too much time is spent 
recording the mental agonies of the 
priest, capably portrayed by Hay¬ 
ama; 

“The Temptress” is superior 
filmmaking in many, respects and 
deserves attention on that score. 
With some editing, it might be a 
possibility for the States, Hift. 


Story of Chikamatsu 

(JAPANESE) 

Daiei Co.- release of Masaichl Nagata 
.production. Stars Kazuo Hasegawa. Kyoko 
Kagawa, YokoMinaminda, Eitaro Shindo. 
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Screenplay, 
Yoshikata Yoda; camera. Kazuo Miyagawa. 
Presented in N.Y; ai the Museum of. Mod¬ 
ern Art during Japanese Film Week, Jan; 
30, ’58., Running time, 102 MINS. 

“Story of Chikamatsu” is evi¬ 
dently an example of the Japanese 
tearjerker. Its theme is love and 
the-tragic ending faced by the lov-. 
ers caught in an impossible situa¬ 
tion. The tragic . finale is tipped 
off early in the picture, as two 
other lovers, accused of adultery, 
are ’literally- crucified by the. au¬ 
thorities. 

While there are moments of . ten¬ 
derness in the* picture, it is gen¬ 
erally slow-moving and overlong. 
The trials and tribulations of the 
lovers in 17th Century Japan will 
at times, seem ludicrous to U.S, au¬ 
diences. Its easy to see; however, 
that the; film could have been a 
big hit in its nktive land. It doesn't 
rate as, an entry for U.S-. ; con¬ 
sumption. 

Basically, the film has to do with 
the undying. love of a clerk and, 
his boss’ wife. Although the wife, 
because of economic circumstances, 
has been sold in marriage to a 
wealthy scroll-maker, there is noth¬ 
ing she can do, under the Japanese 
tradition of the. time, to dissolve 
the union. Both the clerk and the 
wife are inevitably drawn into the 
association through circumstances 
they cannot control. Their love af¬ 
fair is a stormy and harassed one,, 
but. they, cling to each other de¬ 
spite’ the complications.. As they 
go to their death, they seem almost 
happy-—and well -they might con¬ 
sidering what they’ve been through: 

■ r From the standpoint of Japan¬ 
ese pictures, t’opnotch perform¬ 
ances are ' given by Kazua 1 Hase¬ 
gawa, Kyoke Kagawa, Yoko Mina- 
mida and Eitarb Shindo. Hall, 


Untamed Woman 

" (JAPANESE) • 


Toho Co. release. Associate producer, 
Tomoyukl Tanaka,. Stars -Hideko Taka- 
mine; features Ken, ; Uehara. Masayuki 
Mori, Daisuke Kato. Directed by Mikio 
Naruse. Screenplay; Yoko Mizuki; original 
story, Shusei Tokuda; camera^ Masao 
Tamai. Reviewed, it Museum of' Modern 
Art, N.Y., Jan. 31. Running tiine> 121 

Oshima - Hldelro Takamine 

Tsuru-san. ...... • -..„ Ken 

Hamaya -♦ • Masayuki Mon 

Oriada Daisuke Ka.to 


A minor item, this is Japanese 
soap opera that simply fails to gen¬ 
erate interest, certainly is devoid 
of dramatic impact for U.S. Furr, 
ther it’s: far Short of Hollywood 
standards on technical grounds. 

.Central figure -is a young lady 
who looks for-happiness with three, 
men in succession .but loses out on 
each try; Opening has her miser¬ 


ably married, suffering a miscar¬ 
riage in the course of a row, and 
then divorced. Next com£s. a hotel 
owner and the promise of serenity 
blit he turns from her in ambitious 
pursuit of his career. Third is a 
tailor, who prospers with her aid 
but who can’t bear her strong- 
willed personality and takes up 
with a mistress, 

.The characters of “Untamed 
Woman” are disagreeable to the 
extent of precluding audience sym¬ 
pathy, Story' moves slowly and is 
loosely constructed. 

Camera work is hardly profes¬ 
sional; there’s little effort to. segue 
one scene into the next; 

. There’s a temptation to ask why 
“Untamed Woman” was selected 
for showcasing. at the Museum of 
Modern Art: Gene. 


SSSSS Continued from page .1 —— . 
sented, about^ 25%. are westerns, 
20% comedies, 15% . dramas and 
10% action adventure. Here’s a 
rundown of the list: . 

CBS Film Sales: “Border Pa¬ 
trol,” adventure;; “Colonel Flack,” 
comedy; “Attorney,” drama; “The 
Diplomat,” drama* “Firefighters,” 
adventure.. . 

National T e.l e f i 1 m Associates: 
“How to Marry a Millionaire,” 
comedy; “Man. Without a Gun,” 
western, "This Is Alice,” comedy;. 
“George Jessel’s Showbusiness,” 
musical-variety; “U. S. Marshall,” 
western; and “Grand Jury,” drama. 

Screen Gems: “Tales of Franken¬ 
stein” horror; “The Myrna Loy 
Show,” family drama; “My Old 
Man” (Ed Wynn starrer),. family 
drama; “Com bat Crrespondent/ 
USMC,” adventure; “The Queiil & 
The Gun;” western; “Dear George,” 
Comedy; and “Ivanhoe,” Costumer, 

Warner .Bros.: “Room for One 
More,” comedy; “The House of. 
Wax,” horror; “The 49’ers,” west¬ 
ern; “77 Sunset Stri 

Guild:- “Sabotage,’’ adventure;. 
“Dock Crime,”, meller; “Light of 
the World,” Bible stories. 

Official: “Signal Eleven,” detec-, 
tive; ., “Calamity Jane,” western; 
“Confession,” offbeat interview 
show;. “Western Union,” western; 
“Big Foot Wallace,” western; “The 
Adventures of the. Invisible Man/’ 
mystery'. 

Metro TV: “Masie/V comedy; 
“Father^ of the Bride;” comedy; 
“Pesert Rider/’ western; “Min & 
Bill,” comedy; “Dramatic Theatre,” 
anthology, “Mystery Theatre." 

MCA’ Revue: “Cimarron City,” 
western; “Special Agent 7,” myst¬ 
ery; “Focus,” meller; “Yankee Bly,” 
comedy; and “Secrets of Old 
Baily,” comedy. 

Television Programs of America: . 
“N. Y- Confidential,” mystery-ad¬ 
venture; “Cannonball," adventure; 
“Dude Ranch,” family situation; 
and /‘Thunder Ridge,” family, situa¬ 
tion. 

20th-Fox’s TCF: “Mother Is A 
Freshman/’ comedy; “Mr. Belve¬ 
dere,” comedy; “Cameo. Kirby,” 
and “Transatlantic:” 

There are many more than the 
50 pilots upcoming. The count by 
the end; of the selling season in 
the summer will run closer to 150. 
But these are. a major sampling of 
the projects already announce^ 
Others still are in the develop¬ 
mental stage with a greenlight for 
production . as soon as interest is 
felt, •.* * 


Japanese Stars 'Over-Worked’ 


Ryo Ikebe Blames Seven Features a' Year Average 
On Salaries and 75% Income Tax 


By DAVE JAMPEL 

Tokyo, Jan, 28. 

One of Japan’s leading actors 
deblares that the film performers 
. of this nation are overworked: Ryo 
Ikebe, a star at Toho Studios for 
17 years, said, “Japanese perform¬ 
ers play too many roles a year and 
I don’t like it.” 

Enjoying his first real break in 
the schedule. in those 17 years, 
Ikebe compared with envy the two 
or; three pictures a year averaged 
by the leading Hollywood players 
with; the seven averaged, by their 
Japanese counterparts. 

Reasons for the heavy duty of¬ 
fered by Ikebe are twofold. First, 
there are too many theatres in Ja¬ 
pan and aside from the roadshow 
houses, most bill “double” and 
: some “triple” features. The other 
consideration offered is that the 
Japanese actor receives a lower 
guarantee than actors of other na¬ 
tions and with taxes reaching 75% 
for the upper bracket stars, the 
need for an uninterrupted schedule 
becomes plain. 

Ikebe cited the average feature 
shooting schedule in Japan as 40 
days. The result, be stated, is that 
. the cast is overworked and every¬ 
body becomes exhausted. 

A member of the Committee of 
Actors Assn., Ikebe said this group 
has protested the overwork of the 
actor oh several occasions, but that 
the organization was not powerful 
enough to draw the desired re¬ 
action. 

Ikebe revealed that the Japanese 
actor is contracted for 40 days per 
rcle: This, he hushed in an aside, 
is interpreted ais 24 hours per day 
for 40 hours. If the shooting 
schedule runs over 50 days, he 
noted, the actor will be compen¬ 
sated. with overtime pay. But this 
is. a rarity. 

, Although regulations call for a 
eight-hour working day, Ikebe ex¬ 
plained that this is usually re¬ 
spected only for. the first 20 days 
of shooting after which 10 or 12 
hours of work each day become 
common. 

Actors, like producers, directors 
and light, technicians, are Con¬ 
tracted and hsve to follow [an out¬ 
lined. program, Ikebe complained. 
But those working on the picture 
who are salaried, such as assistant 
technicians and stiff members, can 
ask for overtime to supplement 
their low basic incomes and the ac- ! 
tors and other contracted person¬ 
nel have to comply. 

Asked about the standard one- 
year contract for film actors in 
Japan, Ikebe said, “The fast-rising 
star wants a contract of even less 
duration so he can re-contract at 
better terms. - “But,” he added, 
“the fading stir would prefer the 
protection of a longer-term agree* 
ment.” 

I A veteran of 80 or 90 films, 
iIkebe is best known overseas.for 


recent successes in "Madame 
White Snike” and “The Snow 
Coiintry.” His recent schedule 
break was occasioned by his re¬ 
turn from Cambodia where he was 
on location with Yoshiko (Shirley) 
Yamaguchi for "Tales of Angkor- 
Vat.” 

. Asked to respond to the consen¬ 
sus of. foreign critics who find the 
Japanese product overacted and too 
slow Ikebe replied, “Japanese 
overact? I don’t think so. I feel 
that in modern dramas foreigners 
have greater exaggeration than the 
Japanese. The exception, however, 
is the costume play where we have 
a rigid tradition of stage regula¬ 
tions, sort of an offshoot from the 
kabuki, that lends to exaggeration 
. . . and most Japanese export pic- 
ttures. are costume plays/’ 

As To Pace 

On the slow pace, he offered that 
it was due to the difference in cul¬ 
tures. He said, “When a Japanese 
enters a house, he opens the door, 
takes his shoes off, and only after 
five or six bows, is he permitted to 
start to greet. But,” Ikebe contin¬ 
ued, “foreigners can just enter a 
room and start to greet.” 

Three years ago he started his 
own indie company, Ikebe Produc¬ 
tions, where he doubles from Toho. 
This makes him (with S„ Yama- 
mura) only one of two Japanese ac¬ 
tors who have gone indie. It i$ only, 
by the grace 4>i Toho and his long 
service for that company that he 
has been permitted to go indie. The 
top Japanese, moviemaking com¬ 
panies still hold the industry in the 
palms of their hands and can eas¬ 
ily exterminate a stranger to their 
group. Toho distributes for him. 

Asked if his company allows its 
actors more than 40 days to create 
a role, Ikebe replied negatively, 
saying, “It’s not economically 
feaisihle.” 


Fred Goldberg Joins U. A. 

Fred Goldberg is resigning as 
head of the eastern office of the 
Blowitz Maskel public relations of¬ 
fice to become exec assistant to 
Roger Lewis, United Artists’ ad- 
pub director; effective Feb. 24, 
Post is a new one and to tie in 
with UA’s plans for an expanding 
merchandising program. 

Goldberg in past held posts With 
Paramount, I.F.E. Releasing Corp. 
and the Norton & Condon agency. 


New York Theatre 

r—Mi 01.0 CITY MUSIC HILL— 

Rockefeller C«nt«r • Cl 6-4600 

MARIO LANZA m 

“SEVEN HILLS OF ROME’ 1 

a-SUfridf ftEMATO MSCO. • MMISAAUASI0 
li MM litas* ta TEOMUMIS mi nOMCMI 

ood sncucun sue noouinoi 







22 


nClCTES 


Picture Grosses 


SNOW SLOUGHS OMAHA; 
‘PEYTON’ BIG 106,2D 

Omaha, Feb. 4. 

A heavy weekend snow took its 
toll at downtown first-runs this 
session, but two holdovers continue 
great. They are “Peyton Place” at 
Tri-States flagship, the Orpheum 
and “Old Yeller” at State. Former 
may even go into a third stanza. 
“Tall Stranger”. is good at the 
Omaha but “Quiet American”.-is 
only mild at the Brandeis. 

Estimates for This Week 

Brandeis CRKO) (1,100; 75-90)— 
"Quiet American” (UA) and “Man 
on PTowl” (UA). Looms dull $2- 
700. Last week, “Esther Costello 
Story” (Col) and “Brothers Rico” 
(Col), $2,900. 

Omaha (Tristates) (2,066; 75-90) 
—“Tall Stranger” (AA) and “Bow-; 
ery Boys Looking for Dangeri’ 
(AA). Good $5,000. Last week, 
"Man Godfrey” (Ui; $4,500. 

Orpheum (Tristates) (2,980; 90- 
$1.25)—“Peyton Place” (20th) (2d 
wk). Fast $10,000 after $17,000 
debut. 

State (Goldberg) (830; 75-90)— 
"Old Yeller” (BV) (2d wk). Big 
$6,000. Last week, $10,000. 

‘Angels’ Bright 11G, 
Indpls.; ‘Peyton’ 9G, 5th 

Indianapdlis, Feb. 4. 

New policy here of keeping pix 
as long as they show a profit re¬ 
sults in four holdovers at city’s 
five major first-runs this stanza. 
“Tarnished Angel,” only new entry. 
Is doing fine at Circle to top city. 
"Around World in 80 Days” is get¬ 
ting late rush before it closes Feb. 
9, with a nice 25th stanza at Lyric. 
"Peyton Place,” in fifth at the 
Indiana, and “Sayonara,” in sixth 
round at Keith’s, are still stout. 
"And God Created Woman” also 
Is running strongly in fifth week at 
the Esquire, arty house. 

Estimates for This Week 

Circle (Cockrill-Dolle) 2,800; 70- 
90) — “Tarnished Angels” (U). 
Strong $11,000. Last week, “Deep 
Six” (WB) and “Gun Battle Monte¬ 
rey*’ (AA), $8,000. 

Indiana (C-D) (3,200; 90-$1.25)— 
"Peyton Place” (20th) (5th wk). 
Nifty $9,000. Last week, $11,000. 

Keith's (C-D) (1,200; 90-$1.25)— 
"Sayonara” (WB) (6th wk). Big 
$6,000. Last week, $9,000. 

LoeW’s (Loew) (2,427; 75-90)— 
"Don’t Go Near Water” (M-G) . (3d 
wk). Moderate $6,000. Last week, 
$7,500. 

Lyric (C-D) (850; $155-$2.20)— 
"Around World” (UA). Upbeat to 
nice $10,500. Last week, $9,000. 


BROADWAY 

(Continued from page 9) 

700 in 11 performances. The 67th. 
week was. $37,700 for like.number 
of shows. 

Plaza (Lopert) (525; $1.50-$2)— 
"Raintree County” (M-G) (7th wk-1 
6 days). Looks to hit fair $4,700 in 
current (final) week ending today 
(Wed.). The sixth regular week 
was $5,8QO. “Witness for Prosecu¬ 
tion” (UA) opens tomorrow 
(Thurs.). 

Roxy (Nat’-l. Th.) (5,717; 65-$2.50) 
—“Farewell to Arms” (20th) with 
stageshow (2d wk). Current stanza 
finishing tomorrow (Thurs.) is. 
heading for fair $75,000. Stays. 
First was $93,000. 

State (Loew) (3,450; 50-$1.75)— 
"Raintree County” (M-G) (7th wk). 
Present session binding tomorrow 
(Thurs.) looks to push to big $19,- 
000. The sixth was $18,000. 

Sutton (R&B) (561; 95-$1.75)— 
"Smiles of Summer Night” (Rank) 
(7th wk). The sixth week ended 
Sunday (2) was mild $5,200. The 
fifth was $6,100. "Desire Under 
Elms” (Par) due in next. 

Trans-Lux 52d St (T-L) (540; $1- 
$1.50)—“Old Yeller” (BV) (7th wk). 
Sixth stanza completed yesterday 
(Tues.) was nice $7,500. Fifth was 
$8,500. 

Victoria (City Inv.) (1,060; 50-$2) 
—“Paths of Glory” (UA) (6th wk- 
8 days). This session ending today 
(Wed.) looks like fair $14,000; Fifth 
was. $i4,500. “Quiet American” 
(UA) opens tomorrow (Thurs,). 

Warner (SW-Cinerama) (.1,600; 
$1.80-$3.50)—“Search for Paradise” 
(Cinerama) (20th wk). The 19th 
round ended Saturday (1) was solid 
$30,400. The 18th week was $30,600 
in same number of performances. 

World (Times) (400; 95-$1.50)— 
**Bride Is Much Too Beautiful” 
(Ellis) (3d wk). Second, session fin¬ 
ished Sunday (2) was fine $10,600. 
First was $14,000. 


1 LOS ANGELES 

(Continued from page 8) 

468; $I.25-$2.40)—“Sayonara” (WB) 
(6th wk). Hotsy $20,400. Last week, 
$20,700. 

Pantages (RKO) (2,812; $1.25- 
$1.80)—“Don’t Go Near Water” 
(M-G) (6th wk). Beefy $14,700. 
Last week, $14,000. 

Fox Wilshire (FWC) (2,296; 90- 
$1.75)—“Qld Yeller” (BV) (6th wk). 
Bangup $6,500. Last week,-$7,200. 

Warner Beverly (SW) (1,612; 90- 
$1:75)—“Witness for Prosecution” 
(UA) (7th wk). Strong $10,300. 
Last week, $9,800. 

Egyptian (UATC) (1,503; $1:25- 
$3.50)—“Bridge ott River Kwai” 
(Col) (7th wk). Smash $19,000.- 
Last week, $22,000. 

Chinese (FWC) (1,908; $1.25- 
. $2.40)—-“Farewell to Arms”. (20th) 
(7th wk-4 days), Oke $5,000. Last 
week, $5,400. 

Los Angeles, Fox Beverly, Loy¬ 
ola, Vogue (FWC) (2,097; 1*170; 
1,248; 825; $1.25-$2.40) — “Peyton: 
Place” (20th) (3d Wk), Los Angeles; 
8 th wk. at Others). Smash $33,000 
or near. Last week, $34,200. 

| Four Star (UATC) (868; 90-$1.50) 
I—“Wild Is Wind” (Par) (8th wk). 
Tidy $3,200. Last week, $2,600. . 

Downtown, WUtern (SW) (1,757; 
2,344; $l;25-$2.50)—“10 Command¬ 
ments” (Par) (15th wk)/ Good $12,- 
500. Last week, $13,400. . 

Warner ' Hollywood (SW-Cine- 
i rama) (1,384; $1.20-$2.65)—“Seven 
Wonders” (Cinerama). Started 35th 
week Feb. 2 after big $20,800. last 
week. 

Carthay (FWC) (1,138; $1.75- 
$3.50)—“Around World in 80 Days” 
(UA) (59th wk). Stout $21,000. Last 
week, $20,900. . • 

El- Key (FWC) (861; $1.25-$1.75) 
—“Gervaise” (Cont) (4th wk). Okay 
$2,600. Last week, $2,700. _ 

Crest, Sunset (Lippert-Cohen) 
(800; 540; $1.25-$1:50) “Cabfria” 
(Indie) (3d wk). Slim $3,500. Last 
week, $4,000. 


Denver,‘Peyton’ KHG, 6 


Denver, Feb. 4. j 
“Don’t Go Near Water” is easily 
the best bet here this round, with 
a smash session at the . Orpheum. 
It will stay on. Most first-run 
trade is good to big currently, with 
five pix holding. “Peyton Place” 
still is big in sixth stanza at Cen¬ 
tre. “Sayonara” is lofty in fifth 
round at Paramount. “God 


Created Woman”, shapes big in 
second Tabor frame. 


Estimates for This Week 


Aladdin (Fox) (1,400; 70-90)— 
“Old Yeller” (BV) (6th wk). Fine 
$4,500. Last week, $6,000. 

Centre (Fox) (1,247; 90-$1.50>— 
[“Peyton Place” (20th) (6th wk). 
Good $10,500;. Last week, $11,000. 

Denham (Cockrili) (1,429; 70-90) 
—“Long Haul” (Col) and “Woman 
of River” (Col). Fair $7,000. Last 
week, “Girl Most Likely” (U) (2d 
wk), $7,200. 


Denver (Fox) (2,586; 70-90)— 
“Man in. Shadow” (U) and “Apache 
Warrior” (20th). Mild $9,000. 
Last week, “Decision at Sundown” 
(Col) and “Hard Man” (Col), $10,- 


Esquire (Fox) (742; 70-90)— 

“Maid in Baris” (Cont):. Fine 
1 $3,000. Last week,. “Deadlier Than 
Male” -(Cont), ditto. 

! Orpheum (RKO) (2 k 596; 70^$1.25) 
—“Don’t Go Near Water” (M-G) 
and “Parson and the Outlaw” (Col). 
Smash $21,000. Last week, “Rain¬ 
tree County” (M-G) (5th wk), 
$7,000. 

^Paramount (Wolfberg) (2,200; 90- 
$1.25)—“Sayonara” (WB) (5th wk). 
Big $10,000. Last week, $12,000. 

Tabor (Fox). (930; 70-90)—“God 
Created Woman” (Kings) (2d wk). 
Big $6,000. Last week, $8,000: 

Vogue Art (Sher-Shulman) (442; 
75-90)—“Time of Desire’ (Indie). 
Fine $2,000. Last week, "French 
Are Funny Race” (Cont), $1,500. 


CHICAGO 

(Continued from-page 9) 
wk). Neat $5,2Q0. Last week, 
$5,300. 

Todd's Cinestage (Todd) (1,036; 
$1.75-$3.30)—“Around World in 80 
Days” (UA) (44th wk). Tidy $21,200. 
Last week, $20,100. 

United Artists (B&K) (1,700; 90- 
$1.50)—“Don’t Go Near Water” 
(M-G) (6th wk): Strong $21,000. 
Last week, $23,000. 

Woods (Essaness) ^(1,200; 90- 

$1.50)—“Rodan” (DCA) (2d wk). 
Swell $24,000. Last week, $43,500. 

• World (Indie) (606; 90)—“Last 
Bridge” (Union). Sock $5,400. Last 
week, “Don Giovanni” (DCA) (5th 
wk), $3,500. , 


psmesf 


Wednesday, Fcbraary v 5, 195S 


‘HILLS’RUGGED 39G, 
HUB; TEYTON’ 20G, 6 

Boston, Feb. 4. 

Considerable, pickup in business 
this frame With big pictures in 
since Xmas holding sock, “Peyton 
Place” at the Memorial and “Say- 



WE NEED FIGHTERS 


By S. J. GREGORY 

(President, , Alliance Amus. Get.) 


onara” at the Metropolitan, both 
in'sixth stanzas. Newcomer ('Seven 
Hills of Rome” is whameroo at the 
State and Orpheum for lofty take. 
“From Hell It. Came” is only fair 
at Paramount and Fenway.. Hold¬ 
overs dominate with “Bridge on 
River Kwai” at Gary bigger in 
sixth; “Gervaise” holding socko in 
second at Kenmore; and “Wild is 
Wind” is great in second at the 
Astor. 

Estimates for This Week 

Astor (B&Q) (1,372; 90-$1.50)— 
"Wild Is Wind” (Par) (2d wk). Slick 
$14,000. Last week, $15,000. 

Beacon Hill (Sack) (678;90-$l:25> 
—“Old Yeller” (BV) (6th wk). Neat 
$7,500. Last week, $7,500, over 
estimate. 

Boston (SW-Cinerama) (l,354f 
$1.25-$2.65)—“Search for Para¬ 
dise” (Cinerama) (11th wk). Zippy 
$17,000. Last week, same: 

Capri (Sack) (990; 9Q-$1.50) — 
“All At Sea” (M-G) and “invitation 
to Dance” (M-G). Hotsy $15,000. 
Last week, house, the Copley, 
changed hands and name. \ 

Exeter (Indie) (1,200; 60-$1.25)—! 
“Admirable Crichton” (Col) (8th 
wk). Seventh week great $8,000. 
Last week, $8,200. . 

Fenway (NET) (1,378; 60-$1.10)— 
“From Hell It Came” (AA) and 
“Disembodied” (AA): Slow $4,000.1 
Last week, “Deep Six” (WB) and 
“Wayward Girl” (Rep), $6,500. 

Gary (Sack) (1,340; $1.50-$2.75)— 
“Bridge On River Kwai” (Col) (6th 
wk).. Terrific $21,000. Last week, 
ditto. 

Kenmore (Indie) (700; 85-$1.25) 
—“Gervaise” (Cont) (2d wk): Great 
$10,500. Last week, $12,000. 

Paramount (NET) (1,700; 60-$l) 
—“From Hell It Came” (AA) and 
'"Disembodied” (AA). Mild $10,000. 
Last week, “Deep Six” (WB) and 
"Wayward Girl” (Rep), $13,500. 

Saxon (Sack) (1,100; $1.50-$3.30) 
—“Around World in 80 Days” (UA) 
(43d wk). Bright $17,000. Last 
week, $16,000; 

Pilgrim (ATC) (1,700; 60-$l)- 
“Beautiful But Dangerous” (20th) 
and. “Back ; From Dead” (20th). 
Opened today (Tues?). Last week, 
“Worid His Jury” (Col) and “Deci¬ 
sion at Sundown” (Col), $5,500. 

Mayflower (ATC) (689; 60-$l)— 
“Pal Joey” (Col). House back to 
reruns. Last week, “Razzfa” (Kass) 
and “Triple Deception” (Rank) (3d 
wk); big $3,800. 

Memorial (RKO) (3,000; 75-$1.25) 
-—“Peyton Place” (20th) (6th wk). 
Torrid $20,000. Last week, $21,000, 
overestimate. 

Metropolitan (NET) (4,357; 90- 
$1.25)—“Sayonara” (WB) (6th wk). 
Hot $16,000. Last week, $18,000. 

Trans-Lux (T-L) (724; 75-$1.25)— 
“Respectful Prostitute” (Indie) and 
“Layer Roy” (Indie). Big $7,800: 
Last week, “One Summer of Happi¬ 
ness” (Indie) and “Game of Love” 
(Times) (reissues), $5,100. 

Orpheum (Loew) (2,900; 75-$1.25) 
—“Seven Hills of Rome” (M-G) 
and “Happy Road” (M-G). Torrid 
$23,500.. Last week, “Legend of 
Lost” . (UA) and "Dalton Girls” 
(UA) (2d wk-8 days), $10,000. 

State (Loew) (3,500; 75-$1.25)— 
"Seven Hills of Rome” (M-G) and 
“Happy Road” (M-G). Fat $15,500. 
Last -week, “Legend of Lost” (UA) 
and “Dalton Girls” (UA) (2d wk, 
8 days), $5,000. 


KANSAS CITY 

(Continued! from page 8) 
the Prowl” (UA). Modest $7,000. 
Last week, “Don’t Go Near Water” 
(M-G) .(5th wk) at $1.25 top, $7,500 
in 9 days. 

Missouri (SW-Cinerama) (1,194; 
$1.25-$2) — “Seven Wonders of 
World” (Cinerama) (23d wk). Lev¬ 
elled off at oke $7,000. Last week, 
same. 

Paramount: (UP) (1,900; 90-$1.25) 
—“Sayonara” (WB) (5th wk). Un¬ 
usual for a film to hold thB long 
at this , house, $5,000; may stay a 
sixth. Last week, $6,000. 

Rockhill (Little Art Theatres) 
(750; .75-90)—“Time of Desire” (In¬ 
die) (2d wk). Satisfactory $L200., 
Last week, $2,000. 

Roxy (Durwood) (879; $i.25- 

$1.50)-r-“Raintree County” (M-G) 
(6th wk). Strong $5,000. Last week, 
$4,500. 

Tower (Fox Midwest) (2,000; 75- 
90)—‘“Old Yeller” (BV). Good 
$10,000. Last week, "Hunchback 
Notre Dame” (AA), $6,000. 

Uptown, Granada (Fox Midwest) 
(2,043; 1,217; 75-90)—“Hunchback 
Notre Dome” (AA) (m.o.). Fast 
$7,000, better than first week at 
Tower. Last week,. Fairway was 
also coupled with Uptown and 
Granada with “Peyton Place” 
(20th) Cm.o. from Tower) for fancy 
$13,000 at; $1.25 top. 


Chicago. 

During the 40 years: that I have 
been in motion picture, business, 
I have made it a practice to mind 
my own business and not try to 
tell the other fellow how to run his. 
1 only speak up now because I' 
have been stirred up beyond my 
capacity of silence by reading the 
trade papers’ stories of recent 
weeks of panic stricken prophets 
of doom , that predict destruction 
of this great business of ours. 

The motion, picture industry has 
been good to me and to my family 
through prosperous and critical 
times, and I genuinely believe 
that it will be good to me in the 
future; and I will fight toward 
that eventual goal. 

In the early 30’s, 1 was down for 
the count, and they were ready to 
apply the smelling salts, but I 
never lost my confidence, which 
gave me the incentive to fight 
back to eventual success. Cool 
clear heads are more necessary in 
times of, distress than when times 
are prosperous. These are critic 
cal times in bur business and we 
must FIGHT BACK! WE NEED 
FIGHTERS MORE THAN ORA¬ 
TORS. 

One might ask, “What are you 
doing about, it, Mr. Gregory?” 
Here are a few positive basic and 
fundamental steps that myself and: 
everyone in our organization have 
taken to survive in our business. 

In the good years from’45 to ’50, 
instead of declaring dividends, we 
plowed back into, our theatre op¬ 
erations funds for good physical 
plants. We remodeled our fronts, 
carpeted, decorated our auditori¬ 
ums, improved ouf heating and 
air-conditioning systems, and! put 
new marquees and canopies in 
many situations; and as a result, 
today, we do have good, dean, in¬ 
viting atmospheres jn our theatres, 
which are so essential to good Op¬ 
eration. 

Another forward step was taken 
last week, which should demon¬ 
strate pur firm belief that motion 
picture business is not only a good 
business, hut that it is here to 
stay. We consummated a deal 
whereby we acquisitioned four 
drive-in theatres in Fort Wayne, 
Indiana: Lincolndale, Sunset, Fort 
Wayne Auto Theatre, and East 30 
Drive-In.. This represents a big 
investment in the future, and cer¬ 
tainly we would not have made it 
if we were afraid of the motion 
picture business or did hot have 
confidence. This brings the total 


DETROIT 

(Continued from page 9) 
Weak” (AIP) and “Blonde in Bond¬ 
age” (AIP), $12*000. 

^United Artists (UA) (1,667; $1.25- 
$3)—"Around World in 80 Days” 
(UA). (58th wk). Ending like it 
started, great $28,500. Last week, 
$16,158. 

Adams (Balaban) (1,700; $1.25-. 
$1.50)—“Don’t Go Near Water” 
(M-G) (6th wk). Big splash at $10,- 
000. Last week, $11,000. 

Music Hall (SW - Cinerama) 
(1,205; $1.50-$2.65)—‘Seven Won¬ 
ders” (Cinerama) (79th wk). Won¬ 
derful $22,400. aLst week, $18,600. 

Trans-Lux Krim (Trans-Lux) 
(1,000;, 90-$1.65)—“God Created 
Woman” (Kings) (3d wk). Socko 
$23,000 or near. Last weqk, 
$ 21 , 000 . 

PORTLAND, ORE. 

(Continued from page 8) 
wk). Upped to smash $7,000. Last 
week, $6,200. 

Fox (Evergreen) (1,536; $1-$1.50) 
—“Farewell To Arms’,' (20th).. Lofty 
$14,000 or near. Last week, “Say¬ 
onara” (WB) (4th wk), $10,300. 

Liberty (Hamrick) (1,890; $1- 
$1.50) ■— “Teenage Frankenstein” 
(AI) and “Blood of Dracula” (AD. 
Okay $6,000. Last week, “Oregon 
Passage” (AA) and “Destination 
60,000”: (AA), $5,400. 

Orphenm (Evergreen) (1,600; $1- 
$1:50)—“Deep Six” (WB) and “The 
Green-Eyed Blonde” (WB). Fine 
$7,500. Last week, “Peyton Place”, 
(20th) (4th wk), $9,800. 

Paramount (Port-Par) (3,400; $1- 
$1.50)—“Old Yeller” (BV) and 
“Outlaw’s Son*’ (UA). Lusty $12,000 
or near. Last week, “Quiet Ameri¬ 
can” (UI) and “Ride Back” (UA), 
$7,000. 


number of drive-ins that we own 
up to 30, which represents a total 
investment of $4,000,000. 

We also know that todafr you 
cannot run a newspaper ad and a 
trailer and expect-people to come 
flocking to your theatre. It requires 
showmanship and exploitation and 
ballyhoo stunts that may not. have 
been needed a few years ago. 

Operation B.O. 

We have rolled up our sleeves 
and are presently in the midst of 
a showmanship drive like we have 
never had before! It is known as 
B.O.B.O. (Boost* Our Box Office). 
We are offering attractive cash 
prizes to the top showmen of the 
theatres of Illinois, Indiana, Wis¬ 
consin, and the State Of Washing¬ 
ton. To properly do the job, we 
have instructed our managers to 
spend more advertising dollars 
than their budgets provide. 

OPERATION ROBO is in full 
motion now, and it is paying off 
at the boxoffice. Here are a few 
of the stunts that are most suc¬ 
cessful: sponsored kiddie shows 
with the Parent-Teachers Associa¬ 
tion, dance revues on the stage, 
Hollywood premieres, Ki wants 
Clubs buying tickets for the kid¬ 
dies to sefe “All Mine To Give,” 
public auctions from the stage, 
20 -ton tank: in front of. the theatre 
for the engagement of “Sad Sack,” 
the on stage Rock and Roll Show 
of. ’58, space kiddie show with the 
combination of “War of the 
Worlds’- and "Conquest of Space,” 
midnite show titled Fright Quake 
with the Combination of "From 
Hell It Canfe” and “Disembodied/* 
sneak prevues on top attractions, 
full page cooperative newspaper 
ads with merchants, and many 
others that are [too numerous to 
mention are, used to stir an ex¬ 
citement in Our communities and 
rejuvenate the desire for our pa¬ 
trons to Come back. 

I say we need FIGHTERS, We 
cannot throw in the towel and 
quit. Any exhibitor or distributor 
that has lost confidence in the mo¬ 
tion picture industry should GET 
OUT and GET OUT now to allow 
the remaining FIGHTERS, that be¬ 
lieve in oiir business, to do some 
proper planning and clear thinking 
and go forward and prosper, 

I am realistic enough to know 
that there will be less indoor the- 
I atres; we have closed our share of 
them.. Drive-in theatres-will con¬ 
tinue to’ do business, and the the¬ 
atres that remain, if they are 
properly rehabilitated, will gio for¬ 
ward and do fine business. 

The distributors should fight 
back by Concentrating on top qual¬ 
ity attractions. The day of the 
program picture is past. The little 
monster that is lit every living 
room provides free what we are 
trying to get an admission for. The 
public will pay an . admission price 
for a top attraction. On this point 
the admission price structure 
should be realistic, and we should 
not tiy to out price ourselves out 
of business. 

' The advertising departments of 
the film companies should fight 
back by allocating their already 
cut advertising dollar more .at the 
local level instead of key first run 
engagements and national cam¬ 
paigns. Some fine product was 
dissipated last year because it did 
not receive the proper treatment 
and advertising at the local level. 

For surviving, the thinking of 
everyone in our industry should 
be \ UpBeat and not.. DownBeat 
With UpBeat thinking, enthusiasm, 
and confidence, we can go forward 
against all' opposing forces to 
eventual prosperity. 


Walter Hoffman Returns 
To Seattle; Native Habitat 

Chicago, Feb. 4T 
Walter Hoffman, who took over 
the post only two months ago, has 
resigned as Paramount’s ad-pub 
chief for the Chicago office. Notice 
is effective Fob. 7, and no succes¬ 
sor has been named yet. 

A desire to "confine activities, to 
the Coast** was Hoffman’s reason 
for stepping out He’ll return to 
hie family and home in Seattle, 
where he had similar chores for 
Par before coming here. 

Hoffman spent eight years With 
Par, and 10 before that with 20th- 
Fox. 



Wednesday, February 5, 1953 


Week Ended Tuesday (4) 

Y, Stock Exchange 


1957-’58 




—-- 0 - 


"Net 

High 

Low 

Weekly VoL Weekly Weekly 

Tiles.. 

Change 



In 100s 

High 

Low 

Close 

forWk. 

"17% - 

11% 

ABC Vendixir 

80 

16% 

15% 

16 

.. __ 

.24% 

11% 

Am Br-Par Th 151 

15% 

14% 

15 

— %. 

36% 

23%, 

CBS “A” 

90 

28% 

27 

23% 

.+1% 

35% 

22% 

CBS “B” 

54 

27%. 

26% 

27% 

+1% 

26% 

11% 

Col Fix 

18 

1334 

13% 

13% 


19% 

13% 

Decca 

100 

15% 

■15“-' ' 

15 

— % 

15% 

13 

Disney ...... 

231 

18% 

15%:. 

18 

+2.34 

115 

81% 

Eastman Kdk. 10.5 

10534 

100% 

105% 

.+4%. 

4 3 4 

.3% 

emi 

162 

.4% 

.4 

4% 

-f % 

10% 

7% 

List Ind. . . . 

47 

7% 

' 7% 

.7% 

— % 

22 

11% 

Loew’S ...... 

222 

14% • 

1334 

--13% 

— % 

9% 

7 

Nat. Thea... 

150 

3% 

.7%. 

734 

— % 

36% 

28 

Paramount .. 

191 

36% 

34% 

36% 

+ % 

18%. 

11 

PhilCO 

307 

15% 

. .13% 

15% 

+1% 

40 

27 

RCA 

314 

35 

33%. 

35 


8% 

'434, 

Republic .... 

125 

6 % 

.6% 

634 


.13% 

9 

Rep,, pfd- 

5 

11% 

16% 

11% 

+ % 

18% 

13% 

Stanley: War. 

68 

16% 

15% 

16 


29% 

1834 

Storer- 

63 

23 , 

2234 

23 


30% 

.19% 

20th-Fox .... 

56 

.25%. 

245/ 

24% 

I": ^ 

25% 

15 

United Artists; 

66 

19% 

1.7 

19% 

+ 1% 

30%,. 

18% 

Univ. Pii... . 

7 

20% 

20 

20 

— % 

73 

65 

Univ:, pfd... 

*40 

68 

67 

67 


28% 

16% 

Warner Bros. 

37 

17% 

16% 

17% 

J+-J4 ; 

14p 

91% 

Zenith 

•74, 

135 

,127% 

135 

+7%; 


American Stock Exchange 


4% 

2% Allied Artists 43 

3% 

3%- 

3% 

+ % 

10% 

.6% Al’d Art., pfd. 3 

8 

7%. 

7% 

— % 

11%. 

.6% ~ Assoc. Artists £72 

.9% 

834 

8 % 

+ % 

i% 

% C. & C. Tele 81 

. %: 

7/16 

7/16 

— 1/16 

6% 

3 DuMont Lab. 57 

■4% 

33/ 

4% 

+ %. 

4% 

2% Guild Films 150 

3% 

3 

3% 

+ % - 

934, 

5% Nat’i Telefilm 49 

6% 

6% 

634 

— % 

9 

3% Skiatron 253 


43/ 

5% 

— % 

834 

2%. Technicolor 67 

4%. 

4 

4% 

+-% 

57' 

3% Trans-Lux .., 28 

•4%. 

-41/ 

4% 

+ % 


Over-the-Counter Securities 






Bid 

Ask 


Ampex ............ 


50% 

56% 

—i 3 4 

Chesapeake Industries 


13/ 

2% 

.—■% 

Cinerama Prod. 


1% 

.2% 

— % 

DuMont Broadcasting 


734- 

8% 

.+ %- 

Magna Theatre 


2%. 

2% 

Ye 

Official. Films 


1% 

1%: 

—^ 

U. A, Theatres 


4%, 

4% 



Actual Volume.. 

(Quotations furnished by Dreyfus & Co,) 


TV CONCERT MASTER 
PRAISES E. SILVERMAN 

Chicago. 

Editor, Variety: 

As a dyed-in-the-wool movie fan, 
I am taking this opportunity tp 
Write you after reading a letter 
printed in Variety from James 
Alanson Davis, whose letter, ap¬ 
peared as “Pan Mail. For Eddie 
Silverman.'* 

This is “Fan Mail Tor- Eddie 
Silverman,” although I have never 
ihet him* However, two of my fa¬ 
vorite theatres , are the Woods and 
Esquire in Chicago, and I will rise 
to the occasion to defend either, 
should circumstances warrant it, as 
I feel that they are two of the best 
operated theatres in the nation. In 
this instance it is the Woods that 
•I am defending, as I feel.that most 
of. the comments, made by Mr; 
Davis are unjustified; 

I am the concert master of the 
Columbia Broadcasting System stu¬ 
dio orchestra in Chicago, and find 
that movies are a source of relaxa¬ 
tion for me before and after re¬ 
hearsals and shows, so I rarely 
miss a new picture,. The many, 
many times that I have attended 
the Woods have given me ample 
Opportunity to see screen fare in 
an atmosphere that Is conducive to 
one’s enjoyment. Neyer have I 
been disturbed by teen-age blab- 
berlngs and shenanigans in the 
Woods. This could possibly be at¬ 
tributed to alertness on the part of 
its ushers. Another compliment to 
this movie house is its cleanliness; 
the aisles are not cluttered with- 
popcorn boxes and paper. The 
many times that I have been in 
its men's room have given me the 
impression, that Mr. Silverman 
takes pride in'sanitation. 

From my. observations in the 
past I feel that the people respon¬ 
sible for the operation of the 
Woods Theater should be com¬ 
mended; I do not; know what is 
going on in the Woods at 7:15 a.m., 
but It seems to me that anyone 
who is aware that it's an all-night 
theater, and attends a performance 
at that unorthodox hour, should 
expect to find cleaning going on 
somewhere. 

George Devron 
WBBM-TV 


U.A/s Quarterly 35c 

United Artists board at a New 
York meeting yesterday. (Tties.) 
declared the regular quarterly di¬ 
vidend of 35c per share : on the. 
Common stock. This is payable 
March 28 to holders of record on 
March 14. 

Herbert L. Golden, parent com¬ 
pany v.p. and president of the 
television, subsidiary, was formally 
installed as a -member of the 
board, 


STANLEY WARNER IN 
NEW CINERAMA DEALS 

Now that Stanley Warner has 
settled its differences with Cine¬ 
rama Productions Corp. and Cine¬ 
rama Inc. the .-two companies .tied 
in with the Cinerama: operation, 
the theatre , chain has launched a 
foreign expansion program for the 
tliree-strip medium. 

Deal has been set for Cinerama 
to open in May at -the. Cine Casino 
in Buenos Aires, Operation will 
open with the. presentation of “This 
Is Cinerama,” first picture in the 
medium: 

This is the first Cinerama: open¬ 
ing in Argentina. The Cine Casino, 
operated by A. O. Malvestiti, Dr. 
Alberto Apodacea and Egldio Al¬ 
berto De; Maio, was formerly a 
variety and vaudeville house which 
will be completely refurbished and 
remodled for Cinerama. 

Long delay in opening Buenos 
Aires as a Cinerama outlet was 
due to the government ceiling on 
film admissions. However, the^deal 
was made possible by a new ruling 
which exempted Cinerama admis¬ 
sion prices from, the ceiling oh 
regular features. As a result, Cine¬ 
rama will be able to operate oh a 
roadshow basis. ■ 


Morris Stei Quits Film Biz 

Toronto, Feb. 4. 

Morris Stein; .eastern division 
manager for Famous Players (Ca¬ 
nadian),.has formally tendered his 
resignation and will devote all his 
time to the automobile agency here 
of which he is president. 

Robert Myers, former assistant 
to Stein, is successor, effective 
Feb. 8. 


P'SriETy 


TOM. VISION 23 


Tollvision From American Vaves 


Formal Debate Over CBS: 



Into ToU'If and When’ 

; Pay television will have to take 
the best away from free tv pro¬ 
gramming and won’t limit itself to 
hew programming “because there 
just isn’t; enough of it;” Richard 
S, Salant, v.p. of the . Columbia 
Broadcasting System, argued Sun¬ 
day (2). 

Salant debated; the; toil question 
with Bob Hall, a director of Skia- 
tron the WCBS-TY series, 
“Right Now.” i 

Discussion moved in the by-now 
Well-defined orbit * of pros and 
cons, but did nail down some spe¬ 
cific points. For instance, Salant 
said that jbe public eventually 
would emerge the real loser under 
any toll system; “If pay televi¬ 
sion begins to'Supplant free tele-- 
Vision, CBS Will gor into, pay tele¬ 
vision as a matter of economic 
necessity and we expect to do well 
in It,” he declared, “It Isn’t the 
fate of CBS- television that is in- J 
volved, but it’s the fate of free i 
television; The best free televi¬ 
sion will be taken away. . and 
fenced off for the carriage trade.” 

In contrast with the arguments 
of many theatremen, Salant said j 
CBS did not oppose wire tv, which 
would be “just another form of 
competition.”, Nevertheless,, he 
added, closed circuit-television has 
many of the harmful effects on. 
free. television t h a t over-the-air 
pay television has:” 

In his Counter arguments,. Hall 
said the fundamental issue was 
“the American tradition, of free 
choice.” He recalled that no view¬ 
er would have to purchase pro- ; 
grams unless he wanted to and 
reminded that ‘%e will have to 
work Very hard to get. the few 
programs that you will, be willing 
to purchase.” If pay video doesn’t 
work, it won’t stand on its own 
feet, he argued. 

Hall also said that' there were 
now many unused channels which 
subscription-tv could convert to 
use. 

Prof. George Williams of N. Y. 
University Law School was mod¬ 
erator of the discussion. 


CIRCUIT VIDEO BRINGS 
ABSENT ONE TO PARTY 

If the guest can’t go to the party 
in his honor, then he’s brought to 
the party By television; That’s 
the newest gimmick in closed-cir¬ 
cuit television: 

The city of Lansing, Mich., 
planned to honor Jack Wolfram, 
general manager of: the Oldsmpbile 
Division of General Motors, as the 
. “man of the year” yesterday (Tues.): 
But Wolfram was stuck on busi¬ 
ness in Minneapolis. So, via the 
facilities of TNT, Tele-Sessions, a 
large screen projector was set • up 
in the Lansing .Civic .Aiiditroium 
wbile tv cameras were trained, on 
.Wolfram in Minneapolis.; Thus 
Wolfram attended the party as 
originally planned. i 


WCOO's $3,151 Full Page 

'Minneapolis: Feb. 3. 

Firing the .first local guh against 
toll of any of the Twin Cities' tv 
or radio stations, WCCOrTV, the 
Twin Cities’; Columbia Broadcast¬ 
ing Co. affiliate, spent $3*151 for 
a full page ad that appeared : in 
the morning and evening newspa¬ 
pers here. 

The ad was a re-pript of excerpts 
of the preface to “Free Television 
and the Public,” a warning by 
Frank.. Stanton, CBS president, 
that the proposed pay-as-you- j 
Watch video may destroy free tv. 


Wellman Recruits Colonel 

Columbus, Ga.,. Feb. 4. 
CoL Roy A. Murray, of Fort Ban¬ 
ning has been assigned by the Pen¬ 
tagon as military technical adviser 
on “Darby’s Rangers,” Warner; 
Bros, war drama starring James 
| Gamer and Etchika ChoureauV 
Assignment compiled with re-, 
quest of Director William Well¬ 
man, who worked with the same 
colbnel when shooting “The Story 
of GI Joe” back in 1944. 

Col. Mqrray. was a battalion com-? 
mander with DarbyA Rangers, 
American commando outfit ..of 
World war II fame. 


Ply mouth-On-the-Line 

. Plymouth division of the 
Chrysler Corp. held a dealer- 
salesmap closed-circuit tele¬ 
session on Friday (24) via the 
facilities of TNT Tele-Sessions 
Inc. 

Tele-session, second in 
two-mopth period Tor Plym¬ 
outh: went to dealers and. 
salesmen in 41 cities. Telecast 
featured sales and advertising 
executives of the Chrysler 
Corp, as well as the company 
tv personalities—Bob Hope, 
Lawrence Welk and his orch. 
Bill Lundigan, Mary Cost and 
others. 



Tulsa, Feb. 4. 

In the wake of an on-the-air edi¬ 
torial opposing toll tv, station 
KOTV received 2,900 postcards 
from the public, all against pay tv. 
Two hundred of the postcards 
came from nearby Bartlesville, 
Okla., which has the sole subscrip¬ 
tion tv system in operation cur¬ 
rently. 

The postcards were prompted by 
a. one-minute talk on the issue 
Tuesday (28) evening by James C. 
Richdale, prexy and general man¬ 
ager of the tv station. He said, 
in part, “At this very moment in 
Washington, Congress is holding 
hearings on the issue of pay tele¬ 
vision vs. free television. You 
are one of 42 million families own¬ 
ing one or more television sets. 
You have invested over. 16 billion 
dollars in these sets with the un¬ 
derstanding of receiving all tele¬ 
vision entertainment free. Cer¬ 
tain interests now propose to 
charge you for television program^- 
miiig by means of various devices 
which would require you to pay- 
money in your own home to see 
their programs . . For example, 
you instead of the advertisers 
might pay for such programs as 
“Gunsmoke,” “20th Century” and 
“Playhouse 90” .. . KOTV believes 
that all television programs should 
be free to its viewers. 

'.. “We hasten to add that vre are 
not motivated by selfish reasons 
since bur experience and facilities 
Would enable us. to adapt very 
quickly to A system of pay tele¬ 
vision if that is what the public 
wants.” 

The editorial concluded for an 
expression of viewer sentiment via 
a postcard, with the results for¬ 
warded to Washington. By noon 
(3), 2,900 replies had been, re¬ 
ceived; all opposed to pay tv. The 
editorial was telecast immediately 
after the station’s “Award The¬ 
atre’* presentation of feature 
film. 


Detroit Opposes Feevee 

Detroit, Feb. 4. 

, . Detroit-area viewers are voting 
100 to 1 against feevee in a poll 
conducted by WJKB-TV. Latest 
count of ballots showed 3,062 
against and 31 for: Poll resulted 
following a question-and-answer 
program in which the station’s 
news caster Jac LeGdff queried 
WJKB managing .director. Bill 
Michaels on the' subject. Michaels, i 
explained how pay tv would work 
technically, listed the pros and 
cons, estimated costs and dis¬ 
cussed possible programs. 

Viewers Were requested to send 
their ballots to either WJKB-TV 
or to Rep. John Dingell, Detroit 
Congressman, who is. a member of 
the Harris Committee on interstate 
and Foreign Commerce which is 
Investigating toll tv. 


Canad ian-Made Feature 

Toronto, Feb. 4. 

Internationally-known Toronto 
novelist Morley Cailagahan's novel 
“Now That April’s Here" will be 
filmed here by Klenman-Davidson 
Productions. Being cast now, 
Callagahan does a sports column 
for Toronto Telegram. 


Washington, Feb. 4. 

With time running short to stop 
subscription tv (via the broadcast 
channels), the House interstate 
Commerce Committee, under 
Chairman Oren Harris tD-Ark.), 
meets in executive session Thurs¬ 
day (6) to chart a legislative 
; course on feevee which will be ac¬ 
ceptable to Congress and which 
can win speedy approval. 

Chairman Harris had intended to 
cail his Committee together last 
week on subscription but was di¬ 
verted by developments In the 
Subcommittee on Legislative Over¬ 
sight which is investigating " 
operations of the Federal Co. 
munications Commission and other 
regulatory agencies. Harris is an 
ex officio member of the Subcom¬ 
mittee in addition to being chair¬ 
man of the parent Committee. 

Wfiat with the FCC committed 
to acting on pay tv applications 
after March 1, the time factor ap¬ 
pears to be the key to wbat Con¬ 
gress—or at least the House—does 
with the subscription hot potato. 
And what the House does will al¬ 
most certainly be determined by 
what the Committee recommends. 

It’s now pretty generally agreed 
that time will not permit passage 
qf one of many bills (five more were 
introduced last week) banning 
feevee; Legislation of this kind; 
would be sure to run into opposi¬ 
tion for two major reasons. Vari¬ 
ous members of the Committee are 
opposed to Congress taking juris¬ 
diction over regulatory agencies 
They are also impressed with argu¬ 
ments that new development! 
should be given the opportunity tc 
prove themselves! 

. This, however, does not altei 
their basic opposition to, the FCC 
trial authorization, especially ii 
nothing is done to guarantee pro¬ 
tection for “free’’ ty during the 
three-year test period. Growing 
mail from constituents (particular¬ 
ly in an election year) apparently 
weighted against subscription forti¬ 
fies that opposition. 

The Committee, therefore, seepis 
to be left with two courses. One Is 
a resolution which would express 
the sentiment off Congress against 
a trial run for subscription until 
the question of policy in allowing 
the public channels to be used for 
pay programs is determined. There 
are strong indications that such a 
course may be followed in the ac¬ 
tion of seven members of the Sen¬ 
ate last week in co-sponsoring such 
a resolution. 

However, the resolution strategy 
might have its drawbacks. Assum¬ 
ing the House adopts a resolution, 
it would still have to get through 
the Senate where the atmosphere 
may not be so conducive To accept¬ 
ance. Chairman Warren G. Mag- 
nuson (D-Wash.) of the Senate 
Commerce Committee, unlike 
Chairman Harris, has expressed a 
disposition to favor a test. It will 
be his Committee which will have 
to consider the resolution offered 
by Sen. Strom Thurmond (D-S.C.), 
ret al. It cannot be expected to 
push for action with the same zeal 
displayed by Harris. 

Because of these difficulties, 
there’s speculation that the Harris 
Committee may adopt a compro¬ 
mise course. This would be In the 
nature of a report summarizing the 
Committee’s findings on the testi¬ 
mony taken at its recent hearings. 
Such a report may conclude: (1) 
that the question of FCC’s author¬ 
ity to allow subscription is one to 
be : decided by the courts; (2) that 
the law empowers the Commission 
to explore new uses of radio; and 
(3) that the Commission may au¬ 
thorize a test but must come to 
Congress before granting subscrip¬ 
tion a permanent authorization. 

Sentiment for such a report, it’s 
suggested, may increase as Com¬ 
mittee members have opportunity 
to study the full record of the tes¬ 
timony taken at the hearings. A 
considerable part of this record, 
devoted to support of regulated 
broadcast subscription as against 
unregulated wipe feevee, was by¬ 
passed in the hurry to wind up the 
hearings. 






24 


ElBId-TELEVISION 


P&MUETT 


Wednesday, February 5 . 1953 


AIN’T MISBEHAVING’KEYS 



Washington, Feb. 4. 

The House Subcommittee on 
Legislative Oversight, amid fre¬ 
quent wrangling, yesterday (Mon.) 
opened up a pandora’s box in ques¬ 
tioning the propriety and legality 
of the conduct of Federal Commu¬ 
nication Commission Chairman 
John C. Doerfer in collecting com¬ 
pensation from the Government 
and industry for delivering a 
speech in 1954 at a district meeting 
of the National Assn, of Broadcast¬ 
ers. 

Although Doerfer strongly de- 

ied that there was anything im- 
proper in his conduct. Comptroller 
General Joseph Campbell of the 
general accounting office told the 
subcommittee that he would “dis¬ 
allow” a claim for per diem by a 
Government official who. receives 
expenses from the industry. 

Questioned by committee coun¬ 
sel Bernard Schwartz, Campbell 
said. he thought it “improper” for 
Doerfer to receive an “honorari¬ 
um” for making a speech at. an 
NAB meeting in Spokane, Wash. 

Campbell ‘&Jso indicated that 
GAO “would seek reimbursement” 
from Doerfer for collecting ' ex¬ 
penses for this trip from the Gov-, 
eminent. 

Campbell differed with an inter- J 
pretation of the law on which Doer¬ 
fer justified his acceptance of ah 
“honorarium” for NAB. GAO, he 
said, interpreted the law as ap¬ 
plying to private functions, such as 
a commencement address; and not 
to activities involving official du¬ 
ties. 

Diversionary Tactic 

Although Schwartz may have 
scored a point by Campbell's tes¬ 
timony, it appeared that the sub¬ 
committees’. preoccupation with 
Commissioners’ expense accounts 
would amount to little more than 
a diversion far afield from the real 
purpose of the inquiry. The most 
that might develop from the cur¬ 
rent questioning, it seemed, would 
be a reexamination and possible 
revision of GAO regulations. 

The question of Doerfer’s “hon¬ 
orarium” occupied most of the 
hearing and prompted questioning 
of the following witnesses: NAB 
prexy Harold E. Fellows; former 
NAB veepee Robert K. Richards, 
now a public relations consultant; 
Frank U. Fletcher, Washington 
counsel for KWTV (TV) in Okla¬ 
homa City; Baron Shacklett and 
Oliver Eastland, subcommittee 
staff investigators. 

From these witnesses, it was es¬ 
tablished that Doerfer had been 
invited to substitute for Fellows 
as speaker at the Spokane meet¬ 
ing, that he made the trip from 
Oklahoma City where he and his 
‘ wife were attending the dedication 
of the KWTV tower, and that NAB 
(Continued .on page 50) 


The Great Ritchard 

If, on Feb. 21, Cyril Ritchard 
shows a brand-new side of his mul¬ 
ti-faced talent, the credit will be 
shared by Kajar. Ritchard and a 
flock of stars (Anna Maria Alber- 
ghetti, Sal Mineo, Dennis King, 
Basil Rathbone, Una Merkel, How¬ 
ard Morris) will be making with 
the Cole Porter-S. J. Perelman 
“Aladdin” on that date for CBS- 
TV as the “DuPdnt Show of the 
Month.” 

Kajar the Magician has just been 
named now-you-see-it-now-you- 

don’t consultant to the show, or 
vice-president in charge of Cyril 
(Genie). Ritchard. 


TV 



“Lucky Dollar,” the new EPI 
package already set as a CBS-TV 
daytimer to succeed Garry Moore 
in the fall, gets a nighttime berth 
on the network next month via 
Brown & Williamson, which has or¬ 
dered the show for Saturdays at 
8:30 starting March 22, replacing 
“Dick & the Duchess.” 

Situation isn’t a sweetness-&- 
light one as regards the time pe¬ 
riod, since the B&W order is only 
for alternate weeks, while the net¬ 
work meanwhile has lost Helene 
Curtis and Mogen David Wine as 
the original sponsors in the time 
slot. Both bankrollers first indi¬ 
cated to the network that though 
they Were cancelling “Dick,” they’d 
retain the time. Then they re¬ 
versed themselves and dropped the 
time, as well, enabling B&W to 
come in with the “Lucky Dollar” 
order. Show and time, however, 
are still only half sold. 

Package, which involves in- 
home participation as well, as a 
studio game, is the CBS-TV choice 
to succeed the* Garry Moore show 
when the latter quits as a CBS 
daytime star at the. end of the' 
summer. Durward Kirby, who’s 
been the announcer and' comedy 
foil on the Moore, show for seven 
years, has been signed, to. emcee j 
the new 10 to 10:30 quiz stri 

“Dollar,” which was kinescoped ! 
by CBS last summer; is based on 
the old word game of “Ghost,” in 
which two contestants vie against 
each other to make longer words, 
with the prize money increasing in 
proportion to the length of the 
word. Home audience is brought 
into the game by the device of 
translating a word into a numeral 
when it reaches eight letters. 
Viewers who. have a dollar bill 
whose serial number coincides 
with the numerals bir..the screen 
send in the bill and get a $50 prize. 

Moore, incidentaUy, has been so 
besieged by letters from his fans 
demanding to know why he’s leav¬ 
ing that he prepared a .three-page, 
(Continued on page 52) 


JIMMY NELSON 

DANNY O’DAY and FARFEL 

With HUMPHREY HIGSBYE 
Currently TV Spokesman for the 
NESTLE CQ. 

Management: .. Directional Enter- 
prises, 200 West 57th Street; New 
York; . 

Booking: "Mercury Artists Corp. 
730. Fifth Avenue, New York. . 


Leder s Leader: 


Texaco, heretofore a character¬ 
istic “entertainment show” sponsor 
on the networks, may move into 
the news fold with a half-hour 
Sunday news show on CBS-TV. 
Texaco has expressed interest in 
such a project, and CBS-TV is 
currently trying to pin down the 
details, including the needed sta¬ 
tion clearances. Program is aimed 
at the Sunday at 6 p.m. period and 
Would feature Doug Edwards, who 
does the network’s regular 7:15 
weekday news show. 

. That Sunday at 6 period has 
fluctuated between public affairs 
and entertainment for the past 
several years. It's currently occu¬ 
pied by “Beat the Clock,” though 
“The Last Word” is slated to move 
into the time period later this 
month. However, there’s no net¬ 
work hard-news show on CBS-TV 
from the Friday 7:15 Edwards news 
show right through Sunday at 11 
p.m., except lor local news pro¬ 
grams, so that it’s figured the 6 
p.m. show would serve a useful 
purpose. Cunningham & Walsh is 
reppingJTexaco in the negotiations., 


‘NOAH’S ARK’BACK, 
MAYBE TANK,’TOO 

Two of NBC-TV’s “last season” 
shows may make their reentry at 
the web this spring—one will for 
certain. Latter is “Noah’s Ark,” 
which is set to replace “My Friend 
Flieka” on the network as of May 
11. Qther is “Panic,” the A1 
Simon. - McCadden . Productions 
package, which may serve as the 
replacement show for “Sally” 
starting April 6. 

If “Panic” gets the nod—and it’s 
lip to sponsors OldGoId and Royal 
McBee to decide, unused episodes 
of the series, would he shown. 
Series didn’t run its complete 
cycle last season, and with NBC 
having a stake Tri the. : show, idea is 
tn get the remainder of the films 
off the shelf. If the sponsors de¬ 
cide against “Panic,” they’ll prob-. 
ably go fo** a quiz or audience- 
participation entry. 

, “Noah’s Ark” will run in color, 
as last year, in the co-op 7 to 7:30 
Sunday period. It’s the Jack Webb 
package, which, coincidentally, 
“Panic” replaced after the first 
cycle last year. 


$1,500,000 Gross 

WOR Radio, N. Y., which recent¬ 
ly Upped its news schedule to 15- 
minute newscasts every hour on 
the hour from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., did 
so because news broadcasts have 
proven to be a very commercial 
commodity. 

Station, topper Robert Leder, 
discloses that in 1957 WQR’s gross 
income from news programming 
was $1,500,000. Cost of talent and 
facilities to WOR was put at $450,- 
000, leaving the station with a 
neat profit. 

Eight of the top 20 programs 
oyer a period of years, according to 
Leder, have been WOR news 
shows. “When you consistently 
rank eight of. your news shows in 
the top 20 day and night it repre¬ 
sents an equity that you should 
consider to be permanent,” he 
added. 

WOR originates 150 newscasts 
weekly, with 120 of them 15 min¬ 
utes in length. -Station employs 
eight fulltime newscasters, 10 full¬ 
time news writers and alsn makes 
extensive use of stringers. Sta¬ 
tion’s newscasters avoid any com¬ 
mentary as per station policy and 
also are utilized for the commer¬ 
cials as selling personalities. 

Leder called five-minute, news 
shows a matter of “expediency,!' 
dictated by sales departments 
which do not recognize the value 
of l5^minute hews periods. 


Gen. MotorsWants a TV fear’ 

General Motor* ha* , been quietly sounding out top nefum t 
executives for the new post of “tv czar” of the giant automobile 
company. Post commands v.p. stripes aild a salary reportedlv in 
six figures, with quarters at the corporate homeoffice in Detroit 
on a next-office basis with GM prexy Harlow Curtice. 

Reason for the GM anxiety to get a top network figure to run 
its television buying operations, according to reliable sources is 
dissatisfaction at the top level with the lack of a unified approach 
in the television buying, programming and planning of the huge 
corporation. What with GM billings spread through three prin¬ 
cipal agencies, McManus, John & Adams, D. P. Brother and Camp- 
bell-Ewald, with the choice of a fourth for the Buick and corpor¬ 
ate account still Up ..in the air, GM feels the need for an overall 
direction at the top. 

Job has already been offered to two prominent.television figures 
both of whom have held higher-than-v,p. posts at the' networks’ 
They’ve already nixed the offer, one. because of longterm con¬ 
tractual commitments and loyalties, the other because of' semi- 
retired status. . 


Entries But 40-50 Performers Axed 


PAUL MUNI TO STAR 
ON TLAYHOUSE 90’ 

Paul Muni will make one of his 
rare tv appearances on “Playhouse 
90” on March 6, playing the lead 
role in “The Last Clear Chance,” 
original teieplay by A. E. 
Hotchner, who adapted the Ernest 
Hemingway Nick Adams .stories 
earlier this season for CBS-TV’s 
'Seven Lively Arts.” 

George Roy Hill will direct the 
play, in which Muni stars as a de¬ 
fense lawyer. In his last Broad¬ 
way stint, “Inherit the Wind,’’ he 
played the role of lawyer Clarence 
Darrow. 


Its First 'Game’ 


Colgate-Palmolive Co. is fiuying 
Into CBS-TV’s Sunday “Baseball.] 
Game of the Week,” thus com¬ 
plicating still further the: hassle 
between the network and the 
minor leagues. Jit’s Colgate’s first 
full-edged network sports. The 
soap company has in the past 
bought pre- or post-game, capsules 
surrounding football, etc., but 
hasn’t yet participated in the spon¬ 
sorship of a sporting event itself. 

Exact extent of the Colgate par¬ 
ticipation is still to be worked out, 
since it would involve a regional 
pattern. Falstaff Brewing, which 
sponsors a large part of the CBS 
Saturday games, cable up with the 
idea of the Sunday telecasts and 
will sponsor them over most of the 
midwest and south, with CBS-TV 
selling off the rest of the country. 
Whether Colgate will take On all 
the non-Falstaff markets isn’t 
known yet. If it does, the sale will 
give CBS-TV blanket Sunday cov¬ 
erage, except for the major league 
cities arid minor league home-game 
markets on the telecast dates. 

Colgate will use the games to 
push its shaving cream lines. 


‘Big Record’ Fate At 


Play At Tug Of War 

Future of CBS^TV’s “The Big 
Record” is still up in the air, due 
to a tug of war that has developed 
between two of the show’s three 
remaining sponsors. Pillsbury has 
been insisting the show be dropped 
in- April, while Oldsmobile is 
equally adamant that the show 
complete the season. Smack in the 
middle is the show’s third sponsor. 
Armour & Co. 

Oldsmobiie’s attitude stems 
from its longtime relationship with 
“Record” femcee Patti Page. Miss 
Page, who’s starred in her own 
show for Olds, did a hangup dealer- 
relations job for the auto company 
at that time, and Olds since has 
felt a strong loyalty toward her and 
furthermore feels she still does a 
good selling job for them. Pills¬ 
bury, on the other hand, feels that 
ilm “Record” ratings have slipped 
so badly it’s time for a change. 


EXQUISITE FORM 
YANKS BRA SPECS 

Exquisite Form Bra’s plans for 
two more television specials this 
season have blown up, “and unless 
the lingerie outfit can .‘rustle up 
some spare time towards late 
spring, it won’t be represented in 
television anymore this season. Ex¬ 
quisite Form, which had sponsored 
its first tv special in the fall with 
a Las Vegas show, had planned to 
bankroll an April 18 hour on-NBC- 
TV with a package toplining Earl 
Wilson, Rhonda Fleming and Carol 
Haney. 

Although the first special had 
been on NBC, the web told Exqui¬ 
site Form last week that it couldn’t 
clear the April 18 time, nor any 
other period in April, for that mat¬ 
ter. Since timing waS involved 
in the Exquisite Form talent com¬ 
mitments, it took the package to 
ABC-TV, which also nixed the of¬ 
fer on the basis it couldn’t secure 
the necessary preemptions. There¬ 
upon, the bra firm had to notify 
tiie Johnny Greenhut-Jack Bertell 
Television Artists Corp., which 
packaged the show, that all bets 
were off. I 


■f With some sharp modifications 
in the number of performers 
(mostly musical), American Broad¬ 
casting Network has managed to 
retain three of its remaining five 
live musical programs. The net¬ 
work schedule is beirig* shuffled 
about to keep the three live shows 
duhng tjie earlier parts of the 
daily sked. 

ABN affiliates advisory board, 
meeting in New Ybrk last week, 
recommended a greater emphasis, 
on news shows by the web. An 
affiliate member later reported 
that the web has promised to in¬ 
clude an early morning news 
roundup of 10 or 15-minutes 
length a day. Time for the ex¬ 
tended roundup (ABN now offers 
five-minute news wrapups in the 
morning) will probably be 8. 

The various changes and cut¬ 
backs will be In full effect as of 
March 3. 

As originally planned, Don Mc¬ 
Neill will retain his 9 to 10 ;a.m. 
live slot, but instead of Herb Os- 
Car Anderson backjng him tip from 
lb to 10:55, it’ll be Jliri Backus in 
the morning’s other live show. 
Merv Griffin, who now has a 7:15 
to 8:55 p.m., stanza, will, moye it 
over to 1 to 2:55 every afternoon. 
He’ll be. replacing Jim. Reeves, 
who. now has the 1 to 2 strip but 
is being axed entirely by ABN, and 
Backus, who currently fills out the 
sked until 2:55. So McNeill, 
Backus and Griffin, with dimin¬ 
ished staffs* will be the live show 
emcees. 

Also on March 3, Anderson will 
be taking over primarly a deejay 
stanza where Griffin now is—at 
7:15 to 8:55 p.m. Anderson will 
sometimes supplement with talent 
supplied by the ABN affils around 
the country, but whether they’ll 
(Continued on page 50) 


Terdict Is Yours’ 


“The Verdict Is Yours,” the new 
simulated-courtroom d ay t i mer 
which CBS-TV successfully 
launched earlier this fall, is now 
in the running as an hourlong 
weekly nighttime. contender, CBS 
will cut a kinnie of an hour version 
of the show within the next ^our 
to six weeks, in time for the start 
cf the spring selling season. 

Web has already bought night¬ 
time rights to the show from Frank 
Cooper Associates (it had previous¬ 
ly purchased only daytime rights), 
and the kinnie will be done by 
the web’s daytime programming 
dept. As a possible wrinkle, two 
openings and closings will he done 
bn the kinnie. One will be a reg- 
ular completed-case-in-an-hour. 
The other calls for a carryover 
technique on which the audience 
won’t be Informed of the verdict 
bf the case in the telecast until the 
beginning of the next week’s show, 
at which tiihe an envelop contain¬ 
ing the verdict would be ripped 
open and the Verdict read. 

Series, a remake of the old Du¬ 
Mont Chicago-originator, “They 
Stand Accused,” has been one of 
the fnore successful of the Colum-' 
bia daytimers. . Since it replaced 
the Bob Crosby show, it’s reached 
a 60% sold-out status and is one 
of the top-rated CBS afternoon 
entries. 






Wednesday* February 5* 1958 


Pfosattr 


RADIO-TELEVISION 25 



w 


The CBS-TV Cancellation Parade 

Backgrounding, the CBS personnel slashes in news A' public 
affairs last week, ana possibly serving to spark them, lias been an 
unprecedented (for CBS) number of cancellations on the sponsor 
side at the network—unprecedented in terms of so many in so 
short a time span* In all, six sponsors administered the ake on 
time & program commitments in a three-week span, with the pos¬ 
sibility of an eighth doing so this week. 

Sponsors aiid shows ihvolved were Piirex, dropping its alternate- 
week hour in “Perry Mason”; Kellogg, ankling its alternate-week 
half-hour in “Big Record”; Bristol-Myers, cutting back an alter- 
nate-week half-hour in “Playhouse 90”; Lever Bros, cancelling 
time 4r show on “Our . Miss Brooks,” and Helen Curtis arid Mogen 
David, dropping the. time and the “Dick & the Duchess” show* 
On the basis of the 26 remaining weeks of the season, that’s a time 
and talent rap to the web of $9,000,000. 

On the plus side, there are only tWo alternate-week orders re¬ 
placing the defectors, one from Bristol-Myers and another from 
Toni, This, also on a 26-week basis, comes to around $2,000,000 
for time &f program- So that those recession warnings seem a 
reali ty at this point. _ , __ ... 

‘Co-Ed Cookery’ Stirs Up a Stew 

Educators Claim CBS-TV ‘Where Wo Stand' 
Distorted Picture; Wanted Equal Time 


u. i 


three-week span- with thre pos- By GEORGE. ROSEN 

iTpurex, dropping-its alteriiate. ^nsiri. temsdves *re 

logg. ankling its glternate-wcek ”*“** > out “ f , B “P w - 
l-Myers, cutting back an alters 0>* rata things «M( It wont ; 
c 90"; Lever W, cancelling necessary for the D-C. toqulsa- 
" and Helen Curtis arid Mogen tlonlwys to take It out nn the net- 

! “Dick & the Duchess" show. ■RWta'-liy malong the Barrow Re- 

seks of the season, that’s a time Port look good and inflicting, op- 

00,Q00: tion time penalties- The. “Madi- 

r two alternate-week orders re- ■■■son Aye. Report,”'already grlnd- 
tristol-Myers and another from ing away, is beating Barrow to the 
sis; comes to around $2,000,000 ‘punch. 

>se recession warnings seem a A few weeks back at the Wash¬ 
ington powwow of CBS and its 
=================== affiliates, prexy Frank . Stanton 

. , ^ warned that exercising of the op- 

k-l,uA ||«4 A %lA«t tion time: recommendations in the 

HITS UD 9 uffiW Barrow Network study could cost 

* - “ w r w ” ; that network alone up to $20,000.- 

■ 000 annually. That’s the Itind of 

money involved these days sipaply 
V ‘Where We Stand' I by failure of the networks to sell 
. , _ . their fringe time areas to nation- 

anted Equal Time al sponsors. 

—-- — , —=--—From the looks of things Barrow 

i ii '»■*• may be strictly post-mortem. 

h)77-HBnnV Timn There’S so much prime evening 

JdLA nappy IIIUCA time kicking around these days 

Timex Corp. is considering spon- (particularly on half-sponsorship 


CBS Taking a Long, Hard Look 
At Burets as Profits Decline; 

30 Lopoffs inNews-Pubaffairs 


CBS-TV’s widely-heralded 90* Ia77-HAIillV TffliAY There’s so much prime evening 

minute news special on ‘‘Where lia PPJ tuuv* time kicking around these days 

We Stand” early in January has Timex Corp. Is considering spon- (particularly on half-sponsorshii 
aroused some bitter 'controversy soring a second jazz special bn status of shows) that the ad ageri- 


-— --—-—--- -f With the black clouds of reces- 

__ , __ _ sion looming on the television hori- 

Tnat S My M&! zon, plus declining profits, CBS last 

Chicago, Feb. 4. week cut loose between 25 and 30 

The following letter from a news & public affairs personnel. 
Texas televiewer arrived at While the cutbacks weren’t an ex- 

NBC in Chicago: pression of panic at. the web by 

“My mother and I are hav- a °y means, though it had been hit 

ing an argument Can you b y some devastating sponsor can- 

help us settle It? In ‘Green cellations (see senate box), they 
Pastures’ who played the lead- were the result of some intensive 
ing role? I say it was William management and efficiency sur- 
Warfield. My mother says it Ve y*- 
► was Mike Todd . . . ” Cutbacks came in two forms— 

=—————=-= the staffs of three shows were cut 
‘ __ __ _ loose when the shows themselves. 

r^II^ iL “Let’s Take a Trip,” “UN in Ac- 

/lYf* rfltK 1111 tion” and “World News Roundup.” 

4 AAV A IUW vu were axed, and additional person- 

_ nel throughout the news & public 

I?. —__ _ affairs area in various capacities 

FfimiHfi sniffers were topped. The program cut- 
.1 VlllUlv UUIgVlil backs came to some 13 people; 

_ other cuts involved 12 to 15 people 

/P* ^1 ^ Ij ^ ^ . \ and were made among news writers. 

UllSPIP ImftQPV I members of the film production 
VUlOVlt/) HWtJ / ^ 0 f CBS News and in the CBS 
. „ ■■ . r . Talks Dept., which is being reshuf- 

The cancellation of femme sing- fl(?(L Helen Sioussaf, head of the 


from an unexpected quarter—the j^C-TV, following the good re- ?£l s >J n toping their hypothetical ers on the networks has hit an Up- Talks Dept , has been offered the 

educators. They’ve taken objec- action to its first sUc h special on Madison Aye. Report” at the net- beat tempo with two of them, post 0 f assistant to CBS Washing¬ 
ton. to that short segment of tne. j>ec. 30. If the watch company de- works, are now in a position to Gisele MacKenzie and Rosemary tdn v.p. Joe Ream. 

npnffram in which reDorter Alex- j ._j .....it __•_*- ' savr “Whv fihmiM wd mirsplvps f!Ionnpv ppttintir nnticp that- thplr _ . .. __ 1_ 


program in which reporter Alexr- ; _ id *• t ’ ahpad with the* nrniert say: “Why should we get ourselves Clooney, getting notice that their w.'.', _ 

Xnder Kendrick lnterviewed some involved in option time shows, days (and show!) are numbered. h 7?‘T 

Alhambra (Cal.) High SehooL stu- ' * with their limited- rtatioi accept^ Seott Paper and Schick, eo-spon- 

Sponsor is meanwhile repre- ^^ 4? W. « * h ' MacKmizie Show m 

course called co-ed cookery. sented on the web with an aHer- B*,. 1 ?®- prim ' perJod fJ NBC-TV. are dropping the Sator- planned earHer, the actual firings 

National Education; Assn, s news- hate-week half-hour on the Steve nothing would give the stations day night entry in March. Since came in the midst of CBS Inc., 


letter. Preview, last week report¬ 
ed ' that “educators around the 
country” are concerned that the 
segment and the conclusions 
drawn from it “reflected 'a less- 
than-fair picture of til®, curriculum 
of secondary education in Cali¬ 
fornia and elsewhere.” It also re¬ 
vealed that the Southern Council, 
legislative arm of the California 
Teachers Assn., Southern Section, 
bas asked CBS for equal time on 
the basis that the program gave a 
“distorted and fragmentary pic¬ 
ture ... of the curriculum.” CBS 
hasn’t replied* 


Caesar Down, 
Shirley Temple, 
Dean Martin Hot 


greater joy, especially in a period both are committed to the time pe- annual management and budget 
pf economic pinch, than to recap- riod for the balance of the season, surveys, in whibh all divisions bf 
ture these time segments, particu- Benton & Bowies and J. Walter the* parent company were given-a 
lariy from 10:30 to 11 p.m. and Thompson, the respective client, careful o*o. Though it’s an annual 
pre-7:30 p.m. slots. • . . agencies, are xm the prowl for a affair, it’s been learned that this 


The. ABC brass, meeting.in Mi-, replacement .show. . year’s meetings were the most fa * 

ami a few weeks ago with the Af- Lever Bros* (Lux) has served tensive ever, with a real decision 

filiate Adyffory Board, had It notice that they’re dropping the to cut fat wherever possible. 

Rosemary Clooney Thursday night CBS News itself went an a sep- 
y, 0 " show on NBC-TV, but they’ll ride arate budgeting operation the first 

the shift, of You Asked For It with it Until June rather than of the year, and apart from the de- 

01 ? !i 0 j ■ a Ji°*u -h 61, scrounge around for another pro- cision to drop the three shows 

period, they wanted the time for g ra m. (which came from network prexy 

local salev (NBC ^*n up against ------ ; —:—- Merle Jones), the non-program cuts 

the same tMng the first, of the year - , were part of a general move to 

when/Hazel Bishop puM out of Wllh W6SU0SR00S6 cut down on overhead. CBS News 

Sunday at 7 sponsorship of - Ong- „ v.p., Sig Mickelson pointed out. 

Yon Can t Be Too Sore (continued on page 5 2 > 


the basis that the program gave a IJpQII lf|2kTTll1 1101 f eri , od ’ J hey , x ^ ed the «me for gram . (which came from network prexy 

“distorted and fragmentary pic- 1/VIUI 1T1CU UU 1IVI local sale. (NBC ran up against ---- : -;— Merle Jones), the non-program cuts 

lure ... of the curriculum.” CBS the same thing the first of the year np - nf . , , were part of a general move to 

hasn’t replied Sid Caesar & Imogene Coca when llazel Bishop pulled out of With WeSuOgBOOSe cut down on overhead. CBS News 

Newsletter also quoted Alham- nosedived sorne 10 Trendex rating Sunday at 7 sponsorship of : “Ong- - ^ « v.p, Sig Mickelson pointed out, 

bra High principal Gilbert L. points on their second-week s: out- inal Amateur Hour/’ many stations fAII fail f Rp Tnn SnrP rrmtin..^ An naw 

brother’s report to the school ing on ABC-TV over the weekend, reclaiming the time, with the net- . 1UU V 3 " WOtWC ( Cpntmued on page 52 ) 

“board, to the effect that; CBS crews Comic team scored a 15.9 bn Sun- work subsequently forced to co-op A n Camnftmfv 

spent six and a dralf hours there day at 9, with the • NBC-TV the “Flicka” pix). Vtf kTClipi uvllblLlYllj «« Sff «« • 

filming all phases of the school’s “Chevy Show” rodeo mopping up Since last season, CBS, has al- Though It has received two tele- IUa llloTV Morflll 

activities and curriculum, and that with a 22.1 vs. 20.0 for CBS’ “GE ready been obliged to return the casts in England; one in Canada ill! lllttl ? lTlCll 1111) 

Kendrick spent three hours inter- Theatre.” The CaesarrCoca rating. 10:30 to 11. periods to the affiliates a nd one in Australia, an Aifhur " 

viewing him, but that no part of picture followed the same pattern on Tuesday' and Saturday nights Hailey script, “Course for Colli- AT n i I n 

this interview was used and the as ABC’s Frank Sinatra, who following the exiting of “Do You sion,” won’t be telecast in the U.S. Na rllCOl VnOP 

only material used “gave the im- wowed ’em the first time out but Trust Your Wife” and a Barry &. unless .the approach to the story is liv ljUvvl uUvv 

pression that students at Alba m " did a pratfall the following week. Enright ijiuzzer from those fespec- changed to a “don’t-take-it-serious- ■ 

bra take only elective subjects On the weekend specials front, tive time slots. It was also forced tp ly” science-fiction theme. This Edsel is dropping its plans for 

represented by co-ed cookery.” Dean Martin walked off with the return 7 to 8 a.m. to the stations, despite the fact that the script had a one-hour spec this month follow- 

Strother added that 30 out of 1,030 Saturday night, honors, averaging when the Jimmy Dean .Show col-= Already been. sold to CBS-TV. for ing. its inability to sew up'Mary 
boys take the course, and that 0 ut to a 23.2 vs. 17.3 for his hour- lapsed from sponsor malnutrition. “Studio One.” Martin to costar with Bing Crosby 

I only 1% of the entire school’s long Lawrence Welk competition. However, on the face/of things, .. Reason is sponsor sensitivity. It in the special. Miss Martin de¬ 
student body are enrolled in co-ed versus CBS’s half-hours, Martin NBC may be in for the biggest op- a il started With Westinghouse, the dined the stint on the basis she’s 

cookery but 49% are. enrolled in topped Gale Storm, by a 26.3 to tion time blow of all next season. “Stiidio One” sponsor, which tired of the straight-musical duet- 

mathematics courses and 50% in 17.0 score, but lost out to the Just two years ago NBC Was sold scanned the script after it was ting on tv and prefers to do book 

science. “Have Gun; Will Travel” western out clean 10:30 to 11 p.m.* except purchased last June for the show musicals, a probable tipoff she in- 


No Mary Martin, 
No Edsel Spec 

Edsel is dropping its plans for 


science. “Have Gun; Will Travel” western out clean 10:30 to 11 p.m., except purchased last June for the show musicals, a probable tipoff she in- 

—^— : --—- by 21.5 to 20.0. On Sunday. Aor Mondays. It had a sponsored by CBS, and decided that from the clined to accept the “Peter Pan” 

___ # ^ m “Rumplestiltskin,” the second of Sunday ni^nt bowling show. On content, a viewer could deduce repeat stint on NBC this spring. 

Ml/--. Rl«|l the. Shirley Temple fairy tales, Tuesdays there was “Break the that the U.S. radar system isn’t all particularly in light of Pepsi- 

ff l|l"llll lfHIS scored one of the best Trendexes Bank”; on Wednesdays “Big Town”; it could be. Westinghouse, which Cola’s half sponsorship. 

11 v ever in the 6:30. to 7:30 spot, aver- on Thursday’s “Lux Video Thea- makes radar equipment, decided ' Automaker had made a commit- 

m n . t 1 aging out to 28.0. “Twentieth tre”; on Fridays the Gillette fights; to hold off on production until it ment with CBS conditional on se- 

Vflik l«im A vilnit Century” and “Lassie” registered on Saturdays “Hit Parade.” This could get an Air Force clearance curing Miss Martin. After she de- 

10 i illII fcVc HI IlClI 8.5 and 16.9 respectively oiTTBS, season It’s down to four; nights,, for the script While Westinghouse clined,TEdsel and its agency, Foote, 

while ABC local programming, with Sunday, Tuesday and Wednes- didn’t view the script as a sliir on Cone & Belding, make a brief try 

“Win-Go” the new Jan Murray avera S e ^ t0 10 - 2 * day bypassed on'national sponsor- itself, It feared the Air Forci^ one ft getting anotheir format but con- 

ouizzer"which utilizes a maximum “Maverick” rose to even-greater ship. It looks a lot worse for ’58- of its better customers, might eluded it couldn’t bring it in quick- 

prize of $250,000, is set to replace dominance the same evening, aver- *59.PauIHahn, prexy of American resent the radar angle. ly enough, and so notified CBS 

the Eve Arden show on CBS-TV; aging a 28.6 in its hour. It topped Tobacco Co. hasn’t been keeping it Air Force, without giving rea- that the February special was out. 

next month with Toni moving in the 7:30 field with a 28.6 vs. 11.7 a secret that he doesn’t want “Hit sons, refused to sanction the script. There’s still a chance, though it’s 

as the bankroller Toni will bank- for “Sally” and l3.8 for “Bachelor Parade” back in the Sat. 10:30 Westinghouse then said it Would termed remote, that Edsel may 

roll tho chow on an pvprv-week Father” then proceeded to clob- period next season. (Some affils prefer not to use the script even move in with a different one-shot 

basis for the first cycle, with CBS- her both Steve Allen and Ed SuUl- yanked the show this: season to after viewing the CBC-TV kine- later in the spring. 

TV having the right 'to seU off (Continued on page 52) (Continued on page 52) J (Continued on page 50) ^- 

alternate-weelT^sponsorship after, gs -— RD PrCDS N6W ABC 

Ste ha iSu^U“inrh k o a uS _ After March 1st 1958 1 HaK * Honr Kc Series 

(comedian himself Won’t emcee the "r f t P It J 

show due to other commitments) 10 fOllOW IVlSYOnCK 

and placed an order on CBS-TV ■ * .. Hollvwood Feb 4 

for the Tuesday at 3:30-• period. Newsstands ^ SvbscnptlOn Warners and ABC°are'cunrently 

which had been occupied by Lever _ . xttv f mt negotiating a deal for a half-hour 

Bros, and Shulton the;Eve^Arden Q St I ^ action-adventure teleseries to fob 

^ L. ever deciped to _pull .J 1)1. K Vf 35 JL fLr low “Maverick” Sunday nights. 

^ s tet, leavmg_Shul- U J J _ j£ consummated it would give 

t0 ?i* .^ atter J. ast V eek P ost ® d can " K—J K U Per Year web a strong entry in the 8:30 9 

-ceUation notice for t^ Tuesday P^r Copy .JmL JHAK p.m. time slot against the last half- 

t0 C £ S - hat hour of Ed Sullivan and StevC 

is still i.nterested in continuing on Car Dmma Allen. Both WB and web say they 

the web; but in another period with 966 l/6fOfllS KOQ6 09 are aiming for airing to start next 

another show. Web is still dicker-1 .... ■ ■ ___ . 

ing with Shulton on another spot. ■■ . 


After March 1st, 1958 


Newsstand* 

35c 

per Copy 


Subscription 

$15 

Per Year 


Se# Details Page 63 


WB Preps New ABC 
Half-Hoar Pic Series 
To Follow “Maverick’ 

Hollywood, -Feb. 4. 

Warners and ABC are currently 
negotiating a deal for a half-hour 
action-adventure teleseries to fob 
low “Maverick” Sunday nights. 

- If consummated it would give 
web a strong entry in the 8:30 9 
p.m. time slot against the last half- 
hour of Ed Sullivan and Stevfc 
Allen. Both WB and web say they 
are aiming for airing to start next 
J September. ; 



26 


TV-FILMS 


Australia s TV Tastes Similar to U.S.' 
But Budget Limitations Cue More 'Live 


Australians, brought up on* 
American motion pictures, have 
Virtually-the same tastes in tele¬ 
films as Americans, 'with “I Love 
Lucy” one of the most popular 
skeins down under, according, to 
Kieth Cairns, manager of the Her¬ 
ald. Sun station in Melbourne. 

Cairns, in the U.S. to take a look 
at trends here, his first visit in two 
years, said *the percentage of live 
and filmed programming on Aus¬ 
tralian stations is about 45% live 
to 55% on film. Virtually all tele¬ 
films come from the U.S. He went 
on to say that Australian® stations 
program more live shows than 
most stations in the U S., crediting 
the comparative higher costs of 
telefilms as the reason. 

He said Australian stations, cur¬ 
rently three in Sydney and three 
In Melbourne, are limited in what 
they can afford to pay for telefilms, 
explaining that the commercial tv 
stations on the average get about 
$330 per helf-hour as the program 
charge to advertisers. There are 
two commercial stations each in 
Sydney and Melbourne, as well as 
one. government o&o in the sepa¬ 
rate cities. 

Applications for tv stations have 
been made in the cities of Brisbane 
and Adelaide. The current set 
count was put at 100,000 in Mel¬ 
bourne and 80,000 to 90,000 in 
Sydney, The government has eased 
the financial limitation on what 
each station can buy in films. 
Nevertheless, Cairns felt that live 
programming rather than, films will 
expand, even if the change is slight. 
Besides the factor of costs, he said 
Australian stations'wanted to do 
everything possible to utilize and 
stimulate local talent. 

American features, too, are be¬ 
ginning to be telecast. The Herald 
Sun station in Melbourne rubs 
three a week. Station Operation, 
only about 15 months old for all. 
stations, is not profitable. at’ this 
stage, Cairns reported. Advertisers, 
though, are supporting the more 
popular commercial tv stations, the 
operations of which are strictly 
along American lines rather than 
that of the commercial British tele- 
casters. The commercial telecasters 
hope that by the second year, 
profits instead of losses will be 
realized. 


AAP’s ‘Vanguard’ Sales 

Initial Sales on Associated Artists 
Productions’ 44 Vanguard” feature 
film package were made last week. 
Six stations bought the group of 52 
full-lengthers which AAP pulled 
out of the Warner catalog. 

Contracts were pencilled by 
KHF-TV, L. A.; KGHL-TV, Bill¬ 
ings, Mont.; KBOI'TV, Boise, 
Idaho; KSHO-TV, Las Vegas; KVII- 
TV, Amarillo, Tex., and KCSJ-TV, 
Pueblo, Colo. 

‘Soft Janaary’ Hods 
Teleblnrb Producers; 
MPO’s Enforced Cuts 

The teleblurb producers with 
large overheads Were hurt as the 
result of a very soft January, if 
MPO Productions is any indication. 
MPO, which from July right into 
December was shooting film com¬ 
mercials at the rate of four and 
five a day and used the equivalent 
of four complete camera crews to 
do it, had to let go of all the extra 
technical help it hired during the 
rush. Also six office staffers, most 
of whom were extras during the 
six-month flurry and two of whom 
were secretaries, were given walk¬ 
ing papers. 

MPO is currently-working on the 
basis of two crews during the reg¬ 
ular work week and maintains a 
pace of about two commercials a 
day. During January, company 
was utilizing only one working 
crew every day; 

Falloft was due, agencies 
claimed, to January being the end 
of a tv advertising cycle and also a 
time (still continuing, by the Way) 
When sffcSisors- were indefinite 
about future program plans. 

MPO has several cameramen 
who are permanent members of its 
commercial production staff and 
maintained its staff of department 
heads throughout the recession. 
Chief electrician* prop boss, the 
head of the grips and the sound 
and shipping toppers were re^ 
tained. 


Sets in Australia are compara¬ 
tively high. Under the law, the sets 
must be manufactured in Australia, 
A tv set costs about $450 and, in 
addition, viewers must pay a yearly 
fee of $11. The fee helps to sup¬ 
port the government o&o’s which 
are more culture-orientated in 
their programming. 



MPO Productions, a New York- 
based television film producer, is 
negotiating for permanent studio 
' space on the Coast. Company in¬ 
tends to maintain permanent head¬ 
quarters in the east, but says that 
the amount of work it’s being 
asked to do on the Coast is picking 
up. Three times in the past three 
months MPO crews shipped to the 
Coast to do American Gas, Old 
Gold and Philip Morris Jjlurbs. 

Marvin Rothenberg, a partner 
in MPO and its chief director, said 
that the Coast provides an abund¬ 
ance of good outdoor locations, 
particularly suited to automotive 
commercials. He said Hollywood 
has a ‘‘tremendous amount of vary¬ 
ing terrain” and California weath¬ 
er is good for shooting the year 
around. It is not, however, any 
cheaper to lense on the Coast, he 
said. 

The studio space in Hollywood, 
being sought at one of the major 
studios, would give MPO a per¬ 
manent operating setup there. 
Rothenberg said the plan to set up a 
Coast branch was sparked also by 
the fact that this company is finding 
itself more and more in direct bid¬ 
ding competition with Coast-based 
teleblurberies such as Universal. 

A couple of the larger east coast 
houses do Work out of Hollywood, 
Robert. Lawrence Productions es¬ 
tablished a permanent Coast tieup 
not too long back and Filmways 
produces some of its Ford spiels 
on the Coast. 


NILES’AGGIE P1X 

INTO 45 MARKETS 

Chicago, Feb. 4. 

Fred Niles- "Cross Country,” an 
attempt at networking rural sta¬ 
tions, is kicking off this week in. 
45 agricultural' markets. Filmed, 
service show is designed to play 
once a week in either half, of the 
noon hour on what has been incor¬ 
porated as the Cross-Country Net¬ 
work. Guesting on the first three 
shows are Secretary of Agricul¬ 
ture Ezra Benson, American Farm 
Bureau Federations prexy Charles 
Schuman, and Amer ican Dairy 
Assn, prez Lyman McKee. 

In 40 markets, the show has spot 
participations by the Charles Pfizer 
Co.* which bought a total of 902 
spots on the web for its chemical 
products through Leo Burnett 
agency. j 


They’re Jnst Nuts About 
' M-G Pix in Wichita Falls 

Metro features continue to kick 
up some rating dust, as in "Wichita 
Falls,. Tex., one of the smaller 
markets unreeling the Leo the Lion 
label. 

According to American Research 
Bureau, the first week in December 
found KSYD-TV topping all oppo¬ 
sition With the following titles 
‘‘Bad Bascomb,” "Thirty Seconds 
Over Tokyo,” "Honky Tonk,” 
"Bataan,” and “Postman Always 
Rings Twice.” “Bascomb,” . tele¬ 
cast . on a Monday from 4:30 to 
6:30 p.m. scored an ARB average 
of 30.0 for the full two hours. On 
the MGM Late Show, "Billy the 
Kid” beat Lawrence .Welk in a 
close race—-22.2 to 20.8. 

On Sunday, KSYD-TV pro¬ 
grammed “Thirty Seconds Over 
Tokyo,” against 20th-Fox’s 
“Laura,” and beat it by a margin 
of nearly six to one. At 11 p.m. 
“Thirty Seconds” scored 20.8 
against 3.5 for "Laura.” At 12, the 
Metro pic held to i.8.2 compared to 
the 2.0 for “Laura.” 





THE 

HONEY DREAMERS 

Currently on "The Jim Backus 
Show,” Dally-American Broadcast¬ 
ing Network. 

Records. Transcriptions 
Mgmt: ART WARD Direction 

Oxford 7-9034 . MCA 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 



[ *An Industrial film producer has taken the unusual step of releasing 
an LP version of an original score from one of his films. Producer is 
Konstantin Kaiser, prez of Marathon TV Newsreel, which recently 
completed "live Miles West,” a 15-minute documentary on the Volks- 
wagen factory at Wolfsburg, Germany, five miles from the East Ger¬ 
man border, and the effect of ita policies on the German recovery. Doc¬ 
umentary, filmed In 35m-color and narrated by Kurt Kasznar, Is being 
released In color, black and white to American tv stations. 

Kaiser was so impressed by the original score for the picture by 
Richard Half that he decided to have private pressings made of the 
score for distribution to his client and agency list. Work is performed 
by the VolkswAgenwerk Symphony Orch. with Half conducting, and is 
titled "The Wolfsburg Suite.” Kaiser is now discussing possible com¬ 
mercial release on a major label. 

Television Programs of America will hold a sales clinic beginning 
Monday (10). signalizing the launching of "Tugboat Annie” into syn¬ 
dication in the U.S. 

Series now is unwinding in Canada and has been , sold in England, 
Presiding at the confabs, to be attended by the entire sales force,, 
will be Michael Sillerman, sales v.p. 


Stations which participated in the financing of Screen Gems’ "Casey 
Jones” syndicated series, have received their first check. 

Group of stations, including KTTV, Los Angeles, and WPIX, N.Y., 
received 25% in world rights to the series in return for financing. 
Skein was placed into syndication for fall airing. Stations slice; in the 
distribution gross is just beginning to come in. 


fa Solving Issue 
On Fdms-forfV 


London, . Feb. 4. 

A formula devised by Cecil G. 
Bernstein, deputy chairman of the 
Granada Group (which controls a 
commercial tv network as well as 
a chain of theatres), which it is 
hoped will solve the controversial 
feature films for tv issue, is ex¬ 
pected to be adopted by all sec¬ 
tions of the British film industry 
this week. 

Although no details have been 
released, it is understood that the 
Beriistein plan aims to put an end 
to all future film for tv deals by 
the simple expedient of the in¬ 
dustry providing the cash reim¬ 
bursement which the. producer is 
now receiving front, the tv net¬ 
works. In other words, the rights 
to the films would be retained 
within the industry add would not 
be available td tv interests. 

In the main, this scheme is di¬ 
rected towards British pictures, 
which are urgently needed by the 
commercial webs because of their 
86% British Quota. It will not af¬ 
fect the ABC-TV-Ealing Films deal 
I which sparked off. the controversy 
last fall. Nor will it affect the re¬ 
cent BBC package deal of a library 
of RKO features. 

The plan has already been en¬ 
dorsed at a special sesh of the gen¬ 
eral council of. the.. Cinematograph 
Exhibitors’ Association and also got 
the nod in principle at a monthly 
council meeting of the Federation 
of British Film Makers last Thurs. 
(30). It goes before the Kinemato- 
graph Renters’ Society, the British , 
Film j Producers’ Association and] 
the Association. of Specialised 
Film Producers during this week. 



Larry Madison, MPO veep, wing¬ 
ing to Venezuela for 21 days to 
lens Reynolds Metals: blurbs . . 

Ned Smith gets a nod as creative 
director at Transfilm; was formerly 
cr&ative chief at Raymond Spector 
advertising . . , Charles Barry, 
Metro TV v.p., ifi London . . . ABC 
Film Syndication prexy George 
Shnpert returned from the Coast 
... .. Jerry Franken, publicity direc¬ 
tor for Television Programs of 
America; due back today (Wed.) 
from a short trip to Toronto . . . 
MCA TV’s "Guy Lombardo Show” 
will be aired Friday evenings at 
8:30 on WPIX, N. Y. . . . Ted Siles, 
director of "Decoy,” has been hired 
as producer-director for Official’s 
"Signal 11,” marking Official’s 
first entry into tv production . . . 
WPRO-TV, Providenfce, R. I., has 
bought the Trans-Lux Encyclopae¬ 
dia Britannica Film library . . . 
Sherlee Barish, formerly account 
exec at Official, has joined Regal 
Advertising Associates as an ac¬ 
count exec. 

Mario Castegnaro; known in both 
European;and American film mar¬ 
kets, leaves shortly for Europe 
where he will represent producers 
of filmed short features and seri¬ 
als. Castegnaro also plans to do 
dubbing for producers represented 
by him. 


In story headed "Battle of Britain in Video” (Page 43 bf Jan. 22 
Variety), the last paragraph refers to "277 imported film series.” The 
number should have been, of course, 27. Several American distributors 
of tv series phoned thq, London office of this publication alleging that 
they, had received cables from New York and Hollywood pointing out 
that if British tv has room for 277 series—"how come we can’t sell 
one?”- _. 


Lotsa Hassling Looms On Taped 



Almost In conjunction with the 
launching of "The a Explorer,” 
America’s first earth* satellite, 

| Trans-Lux released for tv the En¬ 
cyclopaedia Britannica Films latest 
science production "A Trip to the 
Moon.” 

The color film was produced In 
collaboration with Chicago’s Adler j 
Planetarium and is a forecast as. to 
what can be expected to be tseen 
on the Moon. With the use of. ani¬ 
mation and other photographic! 
techniques, there is presented an 
illusion of an actual scientific 
rocket ship journey into space. j 


To Syndicated Pix 
On Twin Cities TV’ers 

Minneapolis, Feb. 4. 

Feature films continue to lose 
television ground here, giving way 
to half-hour syndicated film series 
among the Twin Cities’ commercial 
stations. , 

On the heels of WC CO-T V 
(CBS) action instertihg syndicated 
films in place of features in the 
Monday-through-Friday 10:30 p.m. 
slot, WTCN-TV (ABC) is Changing 
its programming similarly. With 
the -latter station "Ford Theatre” 
reruns take over and this means a 
limitation of WCCO-TV evening 
movie programming to three and 
a half hours oni Saturday and 
Sunday. 

The non-network KMGM-TV, 
Jointly owned by National Tele¬ 
vision Associates and Metro, has 
gone in heavily during the past 
few months for syndicated films, 
cutting dowrr on feature pictures. 
However, it still offers by far the ; 
most features of any of the Twin 
Cities* tour commercial stations 
and it easily boasts the. largest and 
best libraries Of such airlane at¬ 
tractions locally. 

Incidentally, since NTA bought a 
large slice of the station and under 
Donald Swartz’s management with 
much more programming variety, 
its business is reported up 300% 
from its low point and it is prog: 
perlng. - 

KSTP-TV (NBC), along with 
WCCO-TV undoubtedly the most 
prosperous of the Twin Cities* sta¬ 
tions, virtually ignores features, 
showing them only at 10:30 p.m. 
Saturdays and Sundays when the 
"Tonight” network show is off and 
using only inexpensive and unim¬ 
portant features then. 


• While the feasibility of editing 
video tape is still some time away, 
the teleblurb producers are get¬ 
ting nervous. Likewise, advertising 
agency film departments; 

Advent of tape is expected to 
set off a great struggle between 
the telefilm producers and the tv 
networks. With tape, producers 
are mindful, the networks, who now 
do most of the live tele commercial 
work, are in a pretty: good position 
to capture the taped commercial. 
A case in point would be the CBS 
work on the Chrysler tape blurbs 
for "Climax” recently, -although 
most of thie stanza’s comnfercials 
are normally done live.. 

As a result, film producers are 
expected to start gearing for tape 
shortly-—in some cases, only as soon 
as a fully-editable tape is devel¬ 
oped. Meantime, networks, with 
much Ampex and RCA material 
on hand, have a decided edge in 
taping; 

But the same tape situation por¬ 
tends are real internal hassle at 
ad agencies. The larger agencies 
maintain substantial telefilm com* 
mercial departments, and the fuller 
use of tape, especially in the mak¬ 
ing of blurbs; can throw the weight 
of authority to the agencies’ live 
commercial departments, the ones 
who now “coordinate” live web 
commercials* 


Projected syndicated properties 
which would be financed in part by 
station groups are being eyed by 
prospective Indies. 

Projects seeking such financing 
are coming across the desks of 
WPIX (N. Y.) topper Fred Thrower 
and KTTV (L. A J station manager 
Richard Moore. Both are inter¬ 
ested in a numbe&ypf deals, as yet 
not concluded, either separately or 
together. The. two Indies,. among 
other station groups, participated 
in the financing of Screen Gems* 
"Casey Jones” and Official; Films* 
’’Decoy.” 


John Newman Exits OF 

John Newman has resigned , as 
advertisingrpublicity director. for 
Official Films. No : replacement 
has been inked. 

Also departing from Official 
Films is Sherlee Barish, account 
exec, who has joined Regal Ad* 
•vertising Associates in a similar 
capacity. 







27 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


Pfisenfrr 


TV-FILMS 



Tokyo, Feb. 4. 

Skipper John Calvert on what is believed to be the first floating 
tv studio landed here for repairs to his 112-foot yacht “Thespian” 
which was ravaged $45,000 worth by typhoons off Okinawa. 

Actor-producer Calvert,, his actress-wife Ann Cornell, the latr 
ter’s mother and a crew of seven who double as tv technicians and 
extras are on . an international jaunt filming a series of 39 called 
“The Sea Fox” about an American adventurer for sale to U-S. tv. 
Stops at Hawaii and Midway had been made before the yacht rail 
into the .240 mph -Typhoon Mamie only five weeks after it had 
been introduced to Mamie’s sister Typhoon Lola. 

Also while regaining land, legs in Tokyo Calvert tried to line, up 
bookings for stage engagement which floating troupe performs in 
its various ports of call. Show is called “Fantasy” with Calvert, , 
formerly The Falcon of the films, performing as magician with his 
wife, crew-cast and a locally hired line of girls. Unit will later 
continue to the Philippines, Australia, Southeast Asia, India, the 
Middle East, before swinging toward Europe. 

Calvert stressed that his filmings are not. tr'a.velbges, but “stor¬ 
ies that must hold up if they were shot before a blank wall:” 
The backgrounds, he pointed out, will, ji^st serve to make the 
locations authentic.’ 

Mostly for the European market he thought he woiild be able to 
Splice together in units of three of the series for .feature films. 
Individual series stories leave loose plot threads that could be 
picked, up and woven. _ i _ ..._ 


Even the Secretary Goes Under 


The offbeat problems of under¬ 
water shooting were cited by pro¬ 
ducer Ivan Tors of Ziv’s “Sea 
Hunt,” now returned to the COast 
to complete another cycle of 13 
for the syndicated; skein. 

Tors’ location schedule has been 
. set up to follow the. sun. to warm 
waters. The next cycle of 13 will 
he - begun in Mexico, where shoot¬ 
ing will take place at La Paz, Pal- 
milla and Las Chiuces, cities on 
theThilf of California. “Where we 
r.eed closeups, or special sea crea¬ 
tures or. intricate, sets, we work at 
Marineland of the Pacific, a ‘sea 
theatre’ and marine biology center 
about 35 miles from Los Angeles,’' 
Tors explained. The series con¬ 
cerns the adventures of a freelance 
ex-Navy frogman, portrayed by 
Lloyd Bridges, with much of the 
footage Being underwater. 

Tors credited cameraman Lamar 
Boren for developing a balanced; 
Watertight camera apparatus, which 
can be utilized at all depths and 
.pressures and. which is small 
enough to be hand-held by one 
man; Without it, most of the un¬ 
derwater shooting could not be ac¬ 
complished. Tors worked with 
BOren on Tors’ feature. “Underwa¬ 
ter Warrior” to be released by 
Metro. 

Some of the things which would 
be expected to present serious 
problems in underwater producr 
tion don’t present any, and vice 
versa. 

For example, light is adequate at 
most depths, particularly at a 
'sandy bottom, which reflects-light 
(Continued on page 50) 


Associated Artists Productions 
made a hefty feature film sale to 
Australia’s commercial television 
stations, claiming that it was the 
first total library placement 
abroad by any American distribu¬ 
tor and that the Aussie pact in 
the long haul would be worth. 
$1,000,000 to AAP. Norman Katz, 
AAP foreign sales boss; disclosed 
in New York last week that the 
deal was contingent on the ex¬ 
pansion of the Australian televi¬ 
sion market, and that as audience 
Increases were. made AAP picture 
charges would increase accord¬ 
ingly. 

Over 500 Warner Bros, flicks 
were sold to Herald Suit Television, 
in Melbourne^ and Television 
Corp., Sydney, for a station in each 
Jit the cities. t . 

Previously, Katz bad sold a. 
smaller groitp of Warners and 
AAP’s cartoons (Including, the 
“Popeyes’’) in Australia. 

Katz said that on his last trip 
sold-a batch of Warner features to 
television tii Hong Kong. 


Camel’ 


V 1 


. Camel Cigarets has inked a re¬ 
gional deal on NTA’s “Sheriff of 
Cbchise;”. picking up six markets. 

These include WSB, Atlanta; 
WJIM, Lansing; WTUT, Tampa; 
WRC, Washington, and WHAS, 
Louisville.. The agency is Esty. 


New programming for the NTA 
Film Network in the form of re¬ 
runs of the “20th-Fox Hour” will 
be launched on March 30. 

The net will be comprised of at 
least 63 top markets, reaching a 
potential of about 85% of r the tv 
homes in the U.S. The 13-week 
run of. the “20th-Fox Hour” filmed 
shows will be sold under a “double 
impact” formula, offering a twin 
exposure for. each episode, one 
Sunday afternoon:^ arid the other 
Wednesday evening. 

Price is $15,000 per week; which 
includes program and time coSts, 
for each advertiser. Maximum of 
eight sponsors can be acc.ommo-. 
dated under the plan, which pro¬ 
vides each, advertiser with a min¬ 
ute for each exposure, plus open¬ 
ing arid closing billboards. Story 
episodes consume 45 minutes pf 
the program with the remainder in¬ 
terwoven with commercials.. 

All but one of the episodes were 
initially telecast by CBS-TV, with 
General Electric picking up the 
tab in 1955 and ’56. The Ed Wynn 
Starrier “The Great American 
Hoax,”' included In the package, 
was telecast last, season. 

In another programming area, 
NTA Film NetWork has tempor¬ 
arily discontinued its ^Premiere 
Performance,” which had been 
telecast by some 134 stations. 

Wilding Ups Five 

Chicago, : Feb. 4. 

Wilding Picture Productions Inc.; 
which specializes in filmed com¬ 
mercials and industrials, made five 
executive promotions last week and 
gave veep stripes to three. 

Clinton B. Hatcher, formerly 

secretary-treasurer, Was named v.p. 
in charge of finance, his vacancy 
was filled by Flprian. Palac as 
treasurer and Lorraine A. Backey 
as secretary. Walter H. Tinkham 
was promoted to v.p. *n charge of 
production* and James H. Con-r 
stable got his stripes as executive 
producer. 


Walter Reade Jr., prez of Walter 
Reade Theatres, became the first 
exhibitor last week to ennunciate 
a do-unto-as-done-to. policy vis-a- 
vis producers who sell their post- 
1948 pictures to television. He 
declared that his Circuit would; no 
longer book the films of any pro¬ 
ducer who Jet his new pix go to tv. 

Asked whether he had discussed 
this policy with other theatremen, 
Reade emphasized, he had not; “If 
we did, we might all end up in 
jail,” he cracked. 

Reade spoke at a reception at’ 
which Abe Weiler, a film critic of 
the New York Times, handed him 
the Joseph Burstyn award for 
“Gervaise,” voted the best foreign 
language film of the year by the 
Independent Motion Picture Dis¬ 
tributors Assn; Weiler addressed 
the independents, noting the. in¬ 
terrelation between “art” and com¬ 
merce in the; field. 

As far as we are concerned, 
“Gervaise” should never be sold 
to television, Reade said. Conti¬ 
nental distributes trie French im¬ 
port. He pointed out that several 
of the Alec Guinness films handled 
by Continental were doing “sensav 
tional” business in rerelease, 

Reade’s action in refusing, to. 
book the product of producers who 
had sold new films to tv reflects the 
feeling among theatremen that, had 
they been, more active in the past, 
the floodtide of old pix to tv might 
have been stemmed; They now 
feel .that it is again, up to exhibi¬ 
tion, through “legitimate” pres¬ 
sures, to keep the pOst-’48 films 
from going on the air. 

“The companies still are in busi¬ 
ness to serve the theatres,” noted, 
an exhibitor last week. “Any dis¬ 
tributor Who clearly understands 
that his theatrical business will suf¬ 
fer if he sells out to television may 
think twice before selling, us down 
the river.” Of all the majors; only 
20th-Fox has stated unequivocally 
that it is prepared to withhold its 
post-’48 films, from tv. None of the 
oher distribs are negotiating, but 
they will not go on record as to 
their future intentions. 

Reade took the initiative once be¬ 
fore on the tv question. When Re¬ 
public first sold, he*and some other 
metropolitan circuits s refused 
play Rep films. 


to 


‘Honeymooners’ Hotter 
As a Syndicated Entry 
Than as Network Show 

Jackie Gleason’s telef ilm-ed 
series, if The Honeymboners,” which 
failed to ride the popularity crest 
when networked compared tb 
Gleason’s top live performing days, 
is enjoying a rating harvest in 
syndication; 

Now reruned in New York, it’s 
the second highest rated shows, ac¬ 
cording, to January American Re¬ 
search Bureau figures. First goes, 
to Ziv’s new entry “Sea Hunt,” 
with a 25.3, trailed by CBS Filin 
sales “The Honeymobners.” . In 
Boston, Gleason scores a Wallop¬ 
ing 29.5 on Saturday nights, at 
10:30, while in Detroit, for the 
same time: period,, ai 25.9 is regis¬ 
tered, according to Pulse. In other 
parts of the country, too, the Glea¬ 
son -version of . “Home, Sweet 
Home” is registering high.. Impor¬ 
tant regional sponsors of the skein 
include Clairol and Ronzoni Spa¬ 
ghetti. 


‘White Hunter’ In London 

Independent Television Produc¬ 
tions, London, will begin telecast¬ 
ing, of Telestar Films’ ‘.‘The White 
Hunter” in' April. 

Telestar, meanwhile, closed deals 
for “Topper” to WTVN, Colurabiiis. 
O.; KVOS, Billingham, Washing¬ 
ton; WFBR, Indianapolis; KTYU, 
San Francisco, and KPRC, Hous¬ 
ton, Tex. 


Who Called That Lady, Etc. 

Edythe Rei , v.p. of National 
Telefilm Associates, is in the midst 
of a hassle with United Airlines 
for refusing her passage bn the all¬ 
male “Executive Flight” from Chi¬ 
cago to N.Y. 

She has filed a complaint with 
the Civil /-Aeronautics Board in 
Washington against the airline. 
Seems NTA’s lady exee was in a 
rush to get back to N.Y. from Chi¬ 
cago. Not knowing she tried to 
book a ride aboard tlio “Executive 
Flight,” she was informed that the 
flight was designed for business- 
en only. Miffed, she took her case 
to the CAB, which is investigat¬ 
ing. 


Change of Heart 


Hollywood, Feb. 4. 

. Reported reluctance on the part 
of . the American Petroleum Insti¬ 
tute to go into heavy tv expendi¬ 
tures during an economic recession 
resulted in suspension of API’s 
plans to produce a pilot hour-long 
vidfilm at Metro in commemora¬ 
tion of oil industry’s centennial 
next year. 

API, and Metro had agreed orig¬ 
inally on the pilot, and if they 
okayed that an the greenlight on a 
series of such films, the entire deal 
would have involved several million 
dollars. Jack Denove was to have 
produced the pilot. 

API prexy Frank M Porter said 
he was satisfied with the progress 
made by Denove and Metro and 
that they’ would do any such work, 
planned by AP I in future. 


NAME ANDERSON TO 
NTA B’CAST POST 

James W. Anderson, vet broad¬ 
caster, has been appointed national 
sales manager for National Tele¬ 
film Associates’ broadcast proper¬ 
ties. 

In his new post, Anderson will 
be in charge of national sales for 
KMGM-TV, the NTA-controlled 
station in Minneapolis-St, Paul. He 
also will assume the same duties 
for WATV and WAAT (radio), in 
New Yprk-Newark area, upon the 
approval of the NTA purchase by 
the Federal Communications Com¬ 
mission. (WATV deal has been 
contested by the New York Board 
of Regents, which seeks the sta¬ 
tion as. an educational outlet.. 

Anderson will headquarter in 
N._ ; Y., reporting to Ted Cott, v.p: 
in charge of NTA’s o&o’s. Ander¬ 
son formerly was with DuMont 
Broadcasting where he was general 
manager for WTTG, Washington. 
Prior to that, for a three-year 
period, he was an account exec at : 
KTVI, St. Louis. 


‘Lucy’s’ Brace Of 

Canada Sponsors 

Toronto, Feb. 4. 

With Canada Packers and Harold 
F. Ritchie (health salts and hair 
cream) co-sponsoring, “I Love 
Lucy” reruns will be carried on a 
37-station tv network of the Cana¬ 
dian Broadcasting Corp, during the 
Spring arid Suriimer months at 9 
p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 
with opening date yesterday (Mori.). 
Deal was closed by Cockfield- 
Brown agency. 

. Canada Packers has dropped 
“Pick the Stars” which, in its 
search for Canadian talent, brought 
forward Paul Anka, Tommy Com¬ 
mon, the Haymes Sisters and Lor¬ 
raine Foreman. Ritchie Continues 
with trans-Canada sponsorship of 
“Robin Hood” i 


on Contract Tafts 


Negotiations between Screen 
Actors Guild and film producers 
and advertising agencies were ad¬ 
journed last week until about Feb. 
11, after hearing lawyers for the. 
American Assn, of Advertising 
Agencies insist that SAG’s initial 
demands will create turmoil with 
advertising budgeting. 

SAG’s toppers returned to the 
Coast for. about two weeks to re¬ 
consider their bargaining position. 
Contract -between SAG and the 
producers and agencies ends March 
I, and since the disparity between 
demands of the union and the ad- 
amarice of producers and the 4 A’s 
of advertising some sources are 
very fearful of a Strike. 

Reminded pf the SAG strike 
some five years ago, the one which 
established the principle of replay 
payments on commercials, agencies 
are reportedly stockpiling blurbs 
against the posf-March 1 walkout 
of actors working in commercials 
Strike went on for-three months, 
and in addition to putting many 
advertisers in short supply on fresh 
blurbs the strike wiped out the 
annual profits of many teleblurb 
producers. 

An odd situation exists in the 
collective bargaining talks in that 
neither the employers nor the la¬ 
bor groups have their ranks fully 
behind them. 

SAG described its original de¬ 
mands as catting for “rate ’in¬ 
creases ranging from 15 to oyer 
100.” Official union demands—, 
which the employer groups insisted 
were abnormally high—were too 
low to satisfy a vocally dissident 
body within the union. Several 
New York' performers in tele* 
blurbing told SAG that it was not 
going far enough along in develop¬ 
ing a formula for getting more 
out of nationally-spotted commer¬ 
cials. This group said that SAG 
was collecting fine sums for blurbs 
used on network programs but that 
employers were still getting almost 
unlimited use of blurbs which were 
used in national spot. Group fur¬ 
ther stated that national spot 
blurbs are now more widely used 
than “program commercials,” and 
(Continued on page 52) 


Into MCA s Reruns 

Extra money mileage on rerun 
product is being pursued by MCA 
TV via its unique tieups with ma¬ 
jor’ advertisers, the latest being 
the Ford jMotor Co., which took a 
short term deal in some 55 mar¬ 
kets. 

Ford, whose commitments are 
just being completed, inked the 
deal soon after the windup about 
two months ago of the Nestle De- 
Caf deal involving some 55 mar¬ 
kets. Under the pact. Ford, like 
Nestle, guaranteed purchase of 
one-minute participations in three 
to five MCA rerun shows, depend¬ 
ing on the size of the market. 

The Nestle deal ran over a year, 
under the 13-week option agree¬ 
ment, and was an impetus in the 
moving of rerun product from 
MCA's. sizable library. The short 
term Ford deal served the same 
purpose. Similar agreements now 
are being hawked by MCA. 

MCA also followed a unique 
swap pattern to unlock its “Gen¬ 
eral Electric Theatre” for a rerun 
ride via . a deal with Anacin 
through the Ted Bates Agency, at 
the beginning of this season. High¬ 
light of the Anacin arrangement 
was the sponsor buying the middle 
commercial at one-and-a-half time 
the normal rate card of the sta¬ 
tion, in ; order to get preferential 
slotting. The station, upon re¬ 
ceipt of the Anacin coin, passed it 
along to MCA TV in payment of 
the program, with the station get¬ 
ting to sell the other two spots, 
opener and closer, to local spon¬ 
sors. 



28 


baMo-television 


VARIETY 


Vcdn««^ay, February 5, 1958 


TV TechnkiaD Unkms Avert Strike 

At Last-Minute; Await Member Poll 

♦ ■ - - -- : - - --- — 


Live television’s technical unions, 
coming to tentative agreements 
with the networks within less than 
24 hours of each other, are going 
to present the outcome of the col¬ 
lective bargaining talks to the 
rank-and-file for ratification. The 
understanding between the Na¬ 
tional Assn, of Broadcast Em¬ 
ployees & Technicians and NBC 
and ABC was reached shortly after 
the Friday (Jan. 31) strike deadline. 
The International Brotherhood of 
Electrical Workers left the CBS 
bargaining table only a few hours 
before the midnight deadline and 
later indicated it was going to take 
the network’s offer to its member¬ 
ship. 

There were no revolutionary 
changes made in the terms of . the 
technical employment agreements 
by any of the three networks, al¬ 
though some of the demands which 
the nets did not accede to were 
considered originally as strike is-. 
sues by the unions. 

Despite limited network prepara¬ 
tions in the event of a strike, a 
walkout by NABET and IBEW 
could have done immense damage 
to the web operations, forcing them 
in most instances to revert to kine¬ 
scopes of previous programs in 
lieu of live transmission.. Between 
them, IBEW and NAB^y control 
approximately 4,000 network em¬ 
ployees. 

What evolved out of the NABET- 
NBC-ABC and IBEW-CBS meet¬ 
ings Were moderate increases for 
berth unions. With respect to top 
minimums, the result has been 
that NABET has achieved equity 
with IBEW for the first time. 
Senior technical employees of both 
unions will earn a minimum of 
$180 weekly. 

There is still the possibility that 
the membership of either union 
could reject the network proposals 
when they. meet for ratification, 
but historically the rank-and-file ; 
majority has voted in favor of col¬ 
lective bargaining gains the first 
time around. 

4-Day Week Issue 

The big demand by IBBW and 
NABET was the reduction to a 
four-day work week. It was the 
major issue as both unions went 
into the talks with. the. networks, 
(Continued on page 46) 



Despite the shakeup in program¬ 
ming, American Broadcasting Net¬ 
work has signed an estimated $950,- 
000 worth of billings in the past 
several days. Big piece of* hew biz, 
however, had nothing to do with 
the weekday live program format 
at the radio network. 

General Mills inked in the victor 
ity of a 26-week deal—at $200,000- 
—for co-sponsorship of 12 five- 
minute weekend news capsules on 
which R. J. Reynolds has the other 
half. At almost the same time, R. 
J. Reynolds renewed for another 
13-weeks—also at about $200,000— 
on 22 weekend news co-sponsor- 
v ships. 

Previously—before the program 
changes were made by ABN—Lig¬ 
gett & Myers inked for $250,000 
worth of time in Herb Oscar An¬ 
derson’s morning slot and in Jim 
Backus’ afternoon strip. L&M took 
two Anderson five-minute segs a 
week, plus two 30-second participa¬ 
tions and one five-minuter on 
Backus plus 30-second participa¬ 
tions. Network said that the buy 
will be "readjusted” when the new 
program schedule kicks off. 

Meantime, Highland Church of 
Christ has renewed for 52-weeks 
on its religioso half-hour/ Sundays 
at 2:30 p.m. Web said the renewal 
was worth $300,000. 

The money figures were pro¬ 
vided by ABN and the network 
said that they were "net” returns, 
based on the maximum amount of 
time each contract has to run. In 
the past there , has been some con¬ 
fusion about the difference be¬ 
tween the radio network’s net and 
gross figures. 


CBS-TV SPORTS SPREE 

Basketball, Swimming, Golf, Hock¬ 
ey on March, April Agenda 

CBS-TV has scheduled a quartet 
of one-shot sports events for the 
Weekends from March 15 through 
April 6, starting with Saturday 
telecasts of the National Invita¬ 
tion Basketball Tourney from 
Madison Square Garden, N. Y. on 
March 15 and 22, running through 
the NCAA Swimming Champion¬ 
ships from Ann Arbor on March 
29 and embracing a two-day, two 
and a half hour pickup of the 
Masters Golf Tourney.from Augus¬ 
ta, Ga., on April 5 and 6. 

Basketball remotes will run on 
the same days as the last two pro 
hockey telecasts of the season for 
the web and will follow the icers. 
Swimming meet and Master’s pick¬ 
up 1 will bridge the last hockey 
game and the start of the Saturday 
"Baseball Game Of the Week,” 
giving the network a Continuous 
string of Saturday sporting events 
since last October. No sponsors on 
any of the four events yet. 



London, Feb. 4. 

An hour-by-hour survey con¬ 
ducted by the. Nielsen Television 
Index on the opening night of com¬ 
mercial tv in South Wales and the 
West of England, showed that the 
Independent • programs proved 
more popular with the new audi¬ 
ence by a ratio of nine to .four 
over the state web. 

The first shows to be compared 
Came inside kiddieS’ viewing hour 
of <5 p.m. to 6. For the first 30 i 
minutes, BBC-TV attracted 40% of 
the audience- against commercial; 
tv’s 29%, but the tables were 
turned during the next half-hour 
when the indie aired an adventure 
series which claimed 46% of the 
audience over the BBC’s 31%. ^ 

The commercial outlet’s next 
offering, "Youth Wants To Know,” 
also showed a 12% margin over the 
other channel, but BBC-TV won 
back the majority audience, who 
showed a 5% preference to its 
program during a commercial 
newscast. A televaude show in a 
7 p.m. to 7:30 slot regained the 
viewers with 45% against the 
state web’s 30%, and .it was here, 
at. the peak viewing hours that 
commercial tv widened the gap. 

"Emergency-Ward 10,” a twice 
weekly series about hospital life* 
reaped 61% for indie tv, while 
state tv viewing dropped to 23%. 
The next program, a local telequiz 
entitled "One Thousand Poiuiffl 
Word,” put an even bigger dis¬ 
tance between the two channels 
with an audience percentage of 63 
over 21. Another adventure series, 
"The Count Of Monte Cristo,” 
held On to a 28% lead for the indie 
outlet. A surprising result followed 
when BBC-TV captured a major- 
chunk of viewers while the com¬ 
mercial. programmers aired a foot¬ 
ball match, usually a strong at¬ 
traction to audiences. During , the 
next 60 minutes the audience 
swayed the other way to catch 
Granada-TV’s feed in show, "Chel¬ 
sea At Nine,” which gave the new 
programmers a 3% lead. Another 
program originating from Grana- 
da-TV, “What The Papers Say,” 
increased the lead to 14%, and 
finally, a commercial tv newscast 
hung onto the lead with 23% 
against 11%, 


KMYRY400G Sale 

Omaha, Feb. 4.- - 

Don W. Burden, prexy of KOIL 
here, last week purchased KMYR in 
Denver for a price "in excess of 
$400,000.” , 

The 5,000 watter in Denver 
brings to three the number of radio 
outlets' in which Burden is top 
stockholder. Other is KWIK at 
Pocatello, Idaho. 

Pontiac Joins P&G On 
I Emmy Awards Pickup; 
Acad’s Fancy Trimmings 

Pontiac last week flipped ; the 
SRO: card on the April 15 Emmy 
Awards telecast on NBC-TV with 
the purchase of half-sponsorship 
of the event, now set to run 90 
minutes, from 10 to 11:30. Origi¬ 
nally, . with a Procter & Gamble 
deal for 45-miniites of sponsorship, 
NBC had figured on a one-hour 
telecast if no other sponsor came 
through, or 90 minutes if a co¬ 
sponsor could be found. 

L With the 90-minute format set, 
the New York Chapter of the 
Academy of Television Arts & 
Sciences is making some fancy 
plans on the Gotham eiid of the 
telecast. ATAS is planning to rent 
the 7th Regimental Armory on 
68th St. & Lexington Ave. as the 
origination point for the telecast 
as well as the - site of the annual 
awards dinner party. Armory also 
has a balcony seating 2,000, with 
ATAS planning to sell tickets to 
the general public, for those seats. 

Reason for the Armory plan is 
to avoid last year’s confusion, 
which stemmed from a split-loca¬ 
tion setup in which the telecast 
was done from a theatre while the 
actual ^ dinner party was at the 
Waldorf-Astoria. Under the Ar¬ 
mory plan, the largerScreen moni¬ 
tor, the stage, dinner tables and 
dance, floor would all he under one 
roof, with spectators in the bal¬ 
cony. 

MOUDY AS ASSISTANT 
TO EASTMAN AT ABC 

Dale L. Moudy takes over as as¬ 
sistant to Robert Eastman, prexy 
of •: American Broadcasting Net¬ 
work. Moudy, who’ll also retain 
his post as director of special sta¬ 
tion services, got his new job in 
the wake of the previous week’s 
top personnel shakeup. 

A new program veep will not be 
named to replace Stephen Labun- 
ski, who quit the radio network 
when most of-its. live program¬ 
ming threatened to go Off. La¬ 
bunski has signed oil with Crowell- 
Collier Publishing as head of its 
radio operations. C-C, which owns 
KFWB in Los Angeles, plans to 
have Labunski also head any.toew 
properties it acquires in broadcast¬ 
ing. (Robert Purcell sticks as 
general' manager of KFWB;) 

After Labunski ankled, ABN’s 
research and sales promotion boss 
of a few months, Ray Eichmann, 
also quit to move over to NBC-TV. 
His former duties will be cut up 
among Iry Lichtenstein, as director 
of promotion and exploitation; 
Henry (Hank) Levinson, sales de¬ 
velopment chief and Larry Pol¬ 
lock, research boss. 

CBS Radio Scries For 
Dorothy Collins, Scott 

. Husband &. wife team of Ray¬ 
mond Scott and Dorothy Collins 
Will headline a new houriong CBS 
Radio Sunday musical entry, still 
untitled, to replace the Web’s "The 
Best in Music” (latter, is the sus¬ 
taining title for the old "Wool- 
worthy Hour”). Show starts Feb; 
16 in'the 2 to 3 p.m. slot. 

Deal, set via the Hillard Elkins 
office, marks the on-the-air re¬ 
uniting, of the team for the first 
time since they # wound their "Hit 
Parade” stint at the end of last 
season on NBC-TV. 



Vancouver, Feb. 4. 

Vancouver video-viewers, exposed by CBUT-TV to "the first 
demonstration of subliminal projection on a North American tv 
network,” just yawned. Station, which flashed “Telephone Now” 
every five-six seconds over its 30-minute "Close-Up,” got one phone 
call. Viewer Complained she had not been subliminated. 

Subliminal ad test, made "to entertain,” produced no surge at 
telephone exchanges either, said officials, at B. C. Telephone Cb. 
here. Attempt to subliminate citizens was by courtesy of Sublimi¬ 
nal Projection C6. of New York and their: electronic gizmo. 


• f 


NBC-T# has prepared an unusual breakdown on the amount a 
viewer would have to spend to see sporting events on the spot if 
not for the telecasts of such events. Breakdown, which lists prices 
in terms of the "best Seat in the house.” i.e., a ringside set in box¬ 
ing, 50-yard-line, in football, box aeat in baseball, etc., concludes 
that, the 135 events telecast by the web in the past year would 
have cost a total of $762 to catch, in the flesh. Report doesn’t men¬ 
tion pay-tv, but the .web makes its point anyway. Breakdown fol¬ 
lows: 

Number 


Games Event 

Price per 

Total Cost 


Major League Baseball .... 


$104.00 

7 

World Series . 


70.00 

1 

All-Star Game ^. * 


10.00 

52 

Friday Night -Fights ........ 


310.00 

1 

Heavyweight Title Fight .... 


30.00 

13 

Football Games ... ... 


65.00 

7 

Post-Season Football Games 

. 6.00 

42.00 

3 

Golf Tournaments.. 


21.00 

2 

Tennis Tournaments 

5.00 

10.00 

15 

Pro Basketball Games 

4.00 

60.00 

7 



35:00 

1 

Bowling Tournament ........ 


5.00 

TOTAL EVENTS: 135 

TOTAL: $762.00 


TV-Radio Sports Reporters Rate 


PITT’S PROLIFIC SCMPTER 


Abby Mann’s Two-Parter For 
CBS-TV, Flock of Other Entries 


I Pittsburgh, >Feb. 4. 

Local playwright Ahby (Good¬ 
man) Mann is rapidly becoming 
one of television’s most prolific 
. dramatists. He has just finished a 
two-parter, "Trial at Nuredkerg,” 
for CBS-TV and Producer Herbert 
Brodkin; his adaptation of "Sol¬ 
dier’s Boy” was on “Matinee The¬ 
atre” last week; "U. S. Steel Hour” 
has bought his “Give Me My Son” 
for an early production and Mann’s 
"Tuesdays and Thursdays” will 
turn up on "Studio One” before 
the end of the season. 

Another Pittsburgh boy, John 
Vlahos, wh^« graduated from the 
Carnegie Tech Drama School here, 
is just as. active in the script de¬ 
partment. He’s had at Ieast^eight 
hour-long dramas presented in last 
two or three years and has at least 
a couple of others coming up in the 
near future. 


WINS fading Up 
Some Fancy Pulse 



From a slow fifth, six or seventh 
in the New York radio market 
before last .summer, WINS has 
creeped into a strongly competitive 
position under the aegis Of new 
program chief Mel Leeds. Behind 
a largely revamped format, the 
Indie now runs tie for third in the 
critical 6 a m. to noon spread, ac¬ 
cording to Pulse for January, and 
runs only second to WNEW, the 
town’s top indie, in the noon to 6 
p.m. spread. Between 6 p.m. and 
midnight, WINS runs ahead of 
everybody. 

The station, which runs No. 3. in 
New York on the Hoopers, lost to 
WNEW’s win and WCBS’ place in 
the morning, Tying with WOR, 
which previously outranked WINS 
by many a point. Afternoons, 
Pulse disclosed, WNEW still ran 
first, but WINS outdistanced both 
WCBS and WOR for Second place. 
Alan Freed, WINS rock to’ roll 
deejay and always the station’s big 
gun, carried the indie to first place 
after 6 p.m. All the placements 
are based on Pulse’s own.^printed 
averages for each of* the six-hour 
blocks during the da$ 

Oh Saturdays, WINS runs mostly 
a tie with leader WNEW, losing 
out only in the morning segments 
by a few points, Sunday, with 
WNEW leading again, WINS and 
WCBS vary in second and third 
place. 


Out-Of-The-lnkwell Inc. has.been 
authorized to conduct a motion pic¬ 
tures and broadcasting business in 
New York, with capital stock of 300 
shares, no par value. Stanley H. 
Handman is director and filing at¬ 
torney^ 


By JO RANSON 

Baseball writers, particularly on 
the dailies, are unrealistic in their, 
attitude towards radio-tv sports re¬ 
porters, Cliff Evans said yesterday 
(4) on the.eve of his first anniver¬ 
sary as ^sports editor of NBC-TV’s 
“Today” show. 

Evans cited the somewhat "hu¬ 
miliating” fact that radio-tv sports- 
casters are not permitted in the 
press boxes of the major league 
ball parks, but thought that one of 
these not-too-distant days the mem¬ 
bers of the fourth estate would 
welcome the fifth estaters into the 
fold. "Fundamentally, they do the 
the same type of work,” Evans said, 
"and I see no reason why Sports- 
casters can’t belong to the Baseball 
Writers’ Assn.” 

Since his appointment as sports 
editor of the "Today” show, Evans 
has made it a meeting place for 
the who’s who of the sports world 
and scored a number of commend¬ 
able firsts. Fearful of appearing* on 
the sports segment of "Today” at 
the beginning of the project, sports 
celebrities now clamor to get up at 
the crack of dawn to do^their bit, 
either live or on film. 

"The boys know that I try to play 
a pretty fast game of ball during 
the interviews,” Evans, said, "hut I 
r don’t pitch ’em any curves: Conse¬ 
quently the majority of sports per¬ 
sonalities are happy to appear on 
the ‘Today’ show. In many instances 
they refuse to go on other shows 
| for a fee, but say yes to us, without 
so much as a penny for their 
appearance.” 

Evans got the job as sports 
editor from producer jack Hein. 
"What makes this a peach of an 
assignment is Hein’s complete un¬ 
derstanding of sports and what it 
means to our audiences,” Evans 
said. During the first 12 months on 
the job, Evans and'his crew of 
three^-camerman, soundman and 
lightman—covered virtually every 
, sport with the possible exception 
of curling and chess, but they’ll 
get around to these activities real 
soon. 

He’s traipsed across the contin- 

(Continued on page 52) 

Six Westerns 
In ARB Top 10 

Six out of the ARB Top 10 shows 
for January are westerns, while .the 
Top 25 is constituted .of eight of 
them, or 32%. • "Wagon Train” 
makes the Top 10 for the first jime, 
winding up in eighth place, along 
with two other NBC westerns, 
“Wells Fargo” and ."Restless Gun,” 
which placed third and- seventh. 
CBS’ "Gunsmoke” leads the pack 
in first position, and same web’s 
“Have Gun, Will Travel,” is sixth. 
ABC’s "Wyatt Earp,” is fourth, and 
the network placed two other west¬ 
erns in the Top 25, "Maverick” in 
12th place and ■'’Sugarfoot” in 23d. 

• Along with the impact of the 
westerns, NBC’s improved status 
finds it dominating the Top 25 for 
the first time this season. NBC 
comes off with 12 out of 25, to 10 
for CBS and three (all westerns). 

(Continued on page 52) 











29 


Wednesday, February 5, ,1958 


PQaSBSft ' 


nABIO-TEUBVISION __ 



>: mmm 


Total 1957 billings for the three television networks climbed to 
$516,201,566, an increase of 5.6% over 1956 and the first time net¬ 
work billings have exceeded the half-billion-dpllar mark, according 
to figures released this week by Publishers Information Bureau. 

Leading the pack, with a 7.19^ increase oyer .last year and a 
46.3% share of the three-network total, is CBS-TV, which passed 
the quarter-billion mark for the first time with total 12-month bill¬ 
ings of $239,284,899. In terms of the dollar increase, that’s $15,- 
764,517 over la$t year, highest dollar gain of the three webs though 
not the highest percentage gain, 

Next Was NBC, which fell short of the $200,000,000 mark, 
billings of $193,845,383, representing a 2,9% or $5,924,266 increase 
over 1956. NBC hiked its share of the three-web billings to 38:5%; 
ABC pulled down the largest percentage gain over last year with 
an increase Of 8.3%, equivalent to $6,345;i55, to pull its overall 
'57 billings to the $83,071,284 mark, accounting for 15.7% of . the 
three.network total. Breakdown follows:. 


Network 

1957 total 

1956 toial 

Vc gain. $ gain 

ABC 

$ 83,071,284 

$ 76,726,129 

8.3 $ 6,345,155 

CBS ...... 

... 239,284,899 

223,520,382 

7.1 15/764,517 

NBC 

193,845,383 

187,921,123 

2.9 5,924,260. 

TOTAL 

$516,201,566 

$488,167,634 

5.6 $28,033,932 


Chi’s WBBM Bucks Canned-Music 


Chicago, Feb. 4. 

The . trend bas been going the 
other way for several years, but 
WBBM here continues to . stand by 
“old style" radio, concentrating on 
live programming and favoring 
quarter-hour sales to straight spot 
participations... This, was a calcu¬ 
lated risk in 1951 when most of j 
the stations in the country were] 
paring their budgets with, recorded 
y music, but WBBM stayed live and 
itfs paid off. 

Last year was the CBS AM outlet’s 
biggest twelvemonth , to date,' and 
according to Pulse it now ranks 
» second in most time periods among 
Chicago stations. (Ironically, the 
top-rated is the jukeboxer, WIND.) 
From the profits standpoint, 
WBBM claims to he "second, if 
not first, in the entire country and 
unquestionably the biggest money- 
. maker among owned-and-operated 
‘ stations,” to use the words of a sta¬ 
tion exec.. 

Bucking the canned music trend 
has not been inexpensive. WBBM’s 
operating nut, with most of its 
local programming live, is about 
40% higher than that of the aver¬ 
age station, and- this 'has necessi¬ 
tated a rate card averaging 20% 
higher than that of the ordinary 
big station. Where spot partici¬ 
pations have become the lifeblood 
of most AM operations, WBBM 
still relies greatly on the sale of 
quartef*hours to individual spon¬ 
sors, from the firm belief that a 
15-minute show With a personal 
pitch on a 15-minufe show is 
stronger than an unintegrated 
transcription. 

Thinking behind this adherence 
to "old style” radio is (1) that ex¬ 
tensive live programming can win 
the audiences rejecting jukebox 
radio, (2) that it tends to get adult 
nudiences, (3) and that it'tends, to 
inspire active listening as opposed 
to merely providing background 
music. Every other station in Chi¬ 
cago, save WLS, is mostly record¬ 
ed, and WLS’ live shows are slant- 
(Continued on page 50) 

• y 


Ameche on Brit TV 

London, Feb. 4. 

Don AmeChe is skedded to arrive 
in Britain tomorrow (Wed,) for a 
two-week stay during which, time 
he’ll make a couple of commercial 
tv appearances. 

His first tv stint will be as the 
bill topper on Associated Tele¬ 
vision’s, "Sunday Night At the 
London Palladium,’’ next Sunday 
(9>. The second show will he the 
ABC-TV second anniversary , pro¬ 
gram, entitled "Many Happy Re¬ 
turns,” which will be. networkedj*] 
over the commercial grid on Feb. 
,15. 


ABC-TV to Hie 



Chicago. Feb. 4, 

Needham, Louis .& Brorby ad 
agency* having gained eight new 
accounts in i>ast year, racked up 
record billings in 1957 of $32,- 
902,050, biggest total in the Chi 
agency’s 33-year history. Net -prof¬ 
its for the year we^fe reported at~l 
$196,326. NL&B is an employee, 
owned corporation, with around 
60% of the staff holding shares. 

.Eight new accounts added in 
past year are American Smelting 
and Refining Co.,'Canadian Indus¬ 
tries Ltd., Indian Head Mills, In¬ 
ternational Minerals and Chemical 
Corp. (Ac’cent), Lever Bros. 

(Swan SoapL Thomas J. Lipton 
Ltd., Massey-Harris-Ferguspn Inc. 
and Renault Inc. 


ABC-TV is going to hike its time 
rates next fall. Network said that 
the. overall rate card increase will 
be due to the fact that seven or 
eight ABC affiliates will be getting - 
more for their time from network 
bankroliers. 

Web disclosed that the resulting 
hike will amount to about a Wo 
advance on present. gross time 
charges: Currently, for example,, 
a network charge for a shortterm 
deal on half-hour of ABC-TV air¬ 
times runs between $30,000. and 
$'32,000. The hike 'Will add about 
$300 to the sponsor’s time tab. 

Web will be giving a six-month; 
protection on the hike to its bank- 
rollers, which will, in effect, put 
the increase into action for the 
fall season. The only stations get¬ 
ting the hike, according to the net¬ 
work, are those which are "grossly 
underpriced at present.” 

Hikes were granted at the' in¬ 
sistence of the stations: involved, 
it was reported, some of which are 
among the network's strong mid¬ 
west affiliates. ABC-TV wanted to 
hold rates at their current levels, 
however, because via the Qecember 
monthlong Nielsens, the network 
moved for the first time in its 
history into undisputed cost-per- 
1 000 supremecy. Until then, CBS 
could boast both the highest aud¬ 
ience circulation for its programs 
and the highest cost-per-returo. 
ABC, whose shows have been get¬ 
ting a greater hupk of the audiefice 
since last fall, is still not No. 1 by 
any means in overall circulation 
but when it’s time charges (being 
lower than CBS’ and NBC’) are 
coupled with audience increases it 
makes for the new selling point. 
Whether the hikes will affect this 
status was not determined, especi¬ 
ally since the web has not decided 
yet how to reshape its discount 
rate. 



The renaissance of live televi¬ 
sion appears to be underway al¬ 
ready,, largely as a consequence, of 
the darkening economic picture at 
the networks and among sponsors. 
But <far from being greeted with 
delight- by the "live” proponents, 
the rebirth is causing sohie degree 
of alarm. For it. is bringing in its 
for a rash of ty "game” shows: 

Two deals set for. prime time on 
CBS-TV this week are examples. 
Brown : .& .. Williamson^ bought 
‘Lucky Dollar,” an EPI package 
based on the old word , game 
"Ghost,” in as the Saturday at 8:30 
replacement for “Dick , & the 
Duchess.” And Toni purchased Jan 
Murray’s new package. “Win-Go,”; 
a quizzer variant of Bingo, and set 
It on CBS-TV Tuesdays at . 8:30 
as the successor to EVe Arden’s 
filmed series. 

Nor does the story stop there. 
"Lucky Dollar” was originally, a 
daytime project, and across the 
street at NBC, several daytimers 
have already made their way into 
the evening structure, all of them 
quizz, audience-participation' or 
game entries.'To name a few, ‘- The 
Price Is .Right,” “Treasure Hunt,” 
"Tic Tae Dough,” “Truth or Con¬ 
sequences.” And judging by their 
rating successes, hext season can 
reasonably be expected to produce 
more of the same. 

Reason for the trend is simple 
enough—shows are getting a good- 
sized audience (and a "family’ 1 
audience rather than one particu¬ 
lar sex or age group) at half the 
price of most of the filmed entries. 
And with the new wrinkle of at- 
home audience-participation, via 
r write-in contests a la "Price Is 
Right,” “Treasure Hunt,” “Lucky 
Dollar,” “Dotto,” fet al., each spon¬ 
sor buying one of the game entries 
is hopeful he’s got a runaway on 
his hands—and his chances are 
good at that. In a time of tighten¬ 
ing budgets, a low-cost (and there r 
fore low-risk) buy which has a 
chance of taking off. makes a great 
deal Of sense. 

But this is little comfort to. the ad ; 
vocates Of live television, who gen¬ 
erally mean live dramatics. As of 
the mojneht, there’s only two. new 
live hour dramatic entries on the 
drawing hoards at any of the. webs, 
and one of them is planned as a 
Coast origination (CBS’ “Pursuit” 
series of detective stories, which 
Charles Russell is prepping in 
Hollywood). Moreover, there’s the 
strong possibility that the live dra¬ 
matic shows currently on will fade 
by season’s end, ‘‘Suspicion,”; for 
example, which is half live and half 
film. 

I What gives the live forces cause 
Ifoirworry is that once all the game 
'shows start to wear thin, the pend-: 
ulum, instead of swinging to an¬ 
other live programming form, dra¬ 
matics, will once again gravitate to 
films, with the prestige items in 
the live catalog going by the hoards 
for some years to come. 


200G CBS Radio Biz 

CBS Radio racked up $200,000 
in gross sales tins week, all of it- 
in its nighttime-weekend “impact” 
segment plan. Biggest chunk came 
from General Mills, which signed 
for four impact segs a week for 10 
weeks, to he followed, in May with 
six a week for 13 weeks. 

Groye Labs bought a total of 
60 “impacts” starting in March. 
Dodge bought four a week for 
four weeks: 


Of Good Drama, Sez Walter Kerr 


Tom Duggan Show In 
Negro Boycott Hassle 

Hollywood, Feb: 4. 

After a “violent disagreement” 
with KCOP’s Tom Duggan, Pamela 
Mason, wife of actor James Mason, 
has exited Duggan’s nightly show. 
The disagreement-was over an is¬ 
sue involving alleged . discrimina¬ 
tion by Negroes against Ann- 
heuser-Busch here for not hiring 
Negro employees-r-an issue which 
Duggan has been airing for sev¬ 
eral weeks, and saying in so doing 
Negroes are guilty * of practicing 
discrimination.^ 

Mrs. Mason said "Tom and I’had 
a violent disagreement. It became 
intolerable for me. to work on the 
show.” It’s reported Mrs. Mason 
objected vociferously to what; she 
considered a campaign against 
Negroes by Duggan. 

“We had a flareup on the show 
and he- told me to get off the 
show;” 


‘ ’ to 
—Or One by Land 
And Two by Sea 

CBS-TV is cadgbt right in the 
middle of a continuing dispute on 
the jurisdiction of the network’s 
remote lighting assignments. And 
while the International Brother¬ 
hood of Electrical Workers and the 
International Alliance of Theatrical 
& Stage Employees fight it out in 
center ring, CBS has been forced 
to cancel two tv shows. % 

On Sunday (2), CBS-TV assigned 
IBEWV the remote lighting for 
"Let’s** Take a Trip,” the public 
affairs stanza which is shortly to 
be cancelled anyhow. Show was to 
be done on the S.S. United States, 
but the. : IA objected, then went 
after and got International Long¬ 
shoremen’s AssU. support and 
forced the steamship lines to back 
out. 

This, is a direct turnabout Of 
events of last spring. WCBS-TV, 
CBS New York flag, set a .spon¬ 
sored stanza for a'Waldorf-Astoria 
remote and assigned IATSE men 
to handle the lighting. IBEW ob¬ 
jected that time and the program 
was. cancelled. Subsequently CBS 
sued IBEW and filed a charge with 
NLRB and neither part of the 
mess is cleared up yet, although 
NLRB did rule (and IBEW is Con¬ 
testing the determination) that 
CBS had the right, in effect, to 
choose whomeyer.it pleased: to do 
remote lighting. 

- After “Trip” was cancelled, the 
network inserted the kinescope of 
a show on. a trip to the New York 
police academy. Web said it is mull¬ 
ing whether to take action versus. 
IA the; way it did against IB. 

. CBS, in explaining why it as¬ 
signed the Waldorf bust to IA and 
the S.S., U. S. bust to IB, said the 
Waldrof show was clearly a matter 
for-the stagehands to handle, since 
the intended program bad "acts” 
and also there was literally a stage 
involved in the presentation. 

Htbwever, the ‘Trip” to the ship 
was, in CBS’ opinion, nothing more 
than a question of "simple remote 
lighting,” the kind the web felt 
might be done for a studio tv show. 
Web said it even went so far, in 
planning the "no act” program, as 
to avoid going inside the ship’s 
auditorium. This, the web errone¬ 
ously felt, would avoid .friction 
with IA. 


By BOB CHANDLER 

Television is having an increas¬ 
ing beneficial effect on the legiti¬ 
mate theatre, in the opinion of 
Walter Kerr, New York Herald- ■" 
Tribune drama critic, who also 
writes and directs in the theatre 
and doubles into tv as drama con¬ 
sultant for "Omnibus.” And net 
only does television help legit, says 
Kerr, but does so usually at its 
own expense. 

Its primary aid to legit, stays 
Kerr, is video’s role as a training- 
ground for writers; directors and 
actors, who either double or grad¬ 
uate 'onto Broadway. In the case of 
authors, television has furnished 
new blood for the theatre, and if 
in their first or second attempts, 
the television authors tend toward 
“smallness” in their approach,-*, 
““they can’t be blamed for that” 
since there’s some adjustment in 
technique necessary in the transi¬ 
tion from the small screen and 
limited time of the television 
drama. 

More important is the fact that 
these writers have been able'to be¬ 
come writers, "to earn their living 
while they learned their craft/’ 
in television, and eventually have 
grown to the point.where they can 
make a contribution to legit. Sad 
part of it, Kerr observes, is once 
they’ve hit in legit, they never go 
back to television; it’s a'matter of 
prestige and economics. 

He doesn’t hold with the opinion 
that the television writers’ con¬ 
tribution to legit has been cast 
out of one mold, the often-attacked 
morbid “slice of life” style. Or at 
least he points out that much of 
Broadway’s current drama and 
some of its top dramatists—Ten¬ 
nessee Williams, for example— 
also specialize in that. Kerr doesn’t 
see television «s bringing any new 
dramatic techniques to the theatre 
which haven’t already been tried 
there, but "after all, the talent is 
the really important thing, and 
television is bringing that into the 
theatre.” 

Same thinking holds for direc¬ 
tors and actors. In the case of the 
latter, tv. serves a double function, 
by giving gifted young actors the 
chance to perform in Classic roles 
which couldn't, for economic rea¬ 
sons* be done oh Broadway, and by 
furnishing most actors with tbe 
opportunity to “grow” simply by 
virtue of doing so many different 
roles instead of repeating a rela¬ 
tive few. As an. instance of the 
first point, Kerr points to Christo¬ 
pher Plummer’s. performance in 
“Oedipus Rex” on "Omnibus” a 
couple of seasons ago, "Oedipus” 
simply couldn’t have been done on 
Broadway, but it was done on tv 
and Plummer was given an pppor- 
(Continued on page 46) 


Frank Cooper-Reviving 
A Couple of Oldies 

Frank. Cooper office has ac¬ 
quired rights to two radio and tv 
oldies and is packaging them for 
fall sale.. Properties are' 7 "20 
Questions” and "Double or Noth¬ 
ing,” with rights acquired for the 
former from originator - emcee 
Fred Van Devanter and the latter 
from Bill Dolph. 

Cooper office has tentative 
deal on “20 Questions” with CBS- 
TV, under which the web has 
agreed to do some audio -run- 
throughs on the show and if these 
prove satisfactory, tp do an audi¬ 
tion kihnie. 


NBC Screen Gems* 
Ha. Sheriff Series 

Screen Gems has set its sixth co¬ 
production project for next season, 
its first with NBC-TV via an agree¬ 
ment to turn out a pilot for an 
hourlong series locationed in 
Florida and based on the files of 
thafe state’s Sheriffs Assn. Series 
is still untitled, bpt it’s ail actioner 
with authentic backgrounds utiliz¬ 
ing case histories. Customary co- 
production arrangements prevail, 
with the. web financing the pilot 
in return for a shortterm option. 

The Columbia Pictures subsidi¬ 
ary plans to use two lead characters 
plus guestars in lead roles, reason 
being, that it’s otherwise , impossible 
to'film 39 hour shows on schedule 
Using the same lead character. 
Filming will be dqne throughout 
Florida, in Miami, Dade County, 
the Everglades, Palm Beach, the 
citrus belt, etc,. 

Screen Gems has already set 
jrtwo similar -coproduction arrange¬ 
ments at ABC and three at CBS. 
ABC entries are “Frankenstein” 
and ‘The Donna Reed Show,” 
while the CBS properties are 
“Stagecoach,” "Dennis the Menace” 
and ‘Too Young to Go Steady.” 










Wcdneadiy, Febrmry S, 1958 




MEDIC No one else in 1958 will offer a program that 
approaches medics prestige, production quality and dramatic 
content. First run off the network, through CNP exclusively. 








32 


RAMO-TBUBVISION 


PAriett 


Ve<|nMJay, February 5, 1958 



Death of Henry (Pete) Salomon* 
Jr. at 40 in New York last Saturday 
(1) cut short a career whose im¬ 
pact the television industry was 
only beginning to feA> Salomon, 
who had already gained* fame as 
the producer-writer of NBC-TV’s 
heralded “Victory at Sfea” series, 
saw the informational documentary 
program not as a left-field adjunct 
of network operations but as an 
integral and fundamental element 
of regular tv programming. He 
was just beginning to put this theo¬ 
ry to the test, as director of special 
projects for NBC, at the time of 
his death, caused by a cerebral 
hemorrhage. 

Following his appointment to 
the special projects post last May, 
Salomon went out of his way to. 
emphasize the fact that * his unit 
reported not to the web's public 
affairs dept., but to the network 
programming dept. And in fact, 
the “Project 20” series which he 
created and produced for the net¬ 
work was given prime' evening 
time and not restricted to the Sun¬ 
day afternoon “intellefctual ghetto” 
of public affairs programming. £ 

At the time of his death, Salo¬ 
mon had several projects in the 
fire, among them a six-part series 
of the history of American musical 
comedy, a three-part series on 
modern-day America as viewed 
through Walt Whitman's “Leaves 
of Grass,” a weekly children's news 
series starring author Munro 
Leaf, a comprehensive series on 
the “Democracy vs. Communism” 
theme in association with the 
Rockefeller Bros. Fund, and sev¬ 
eral more “Project -20” specials. 
Future of these is indeterminate, 
though a kinescope on the chil- 
(Continued on page 48) 


TRIM $4,000,000 
‘MICKEY MOUSE’ TAB 

Hollywood, FOb. 4. v 
‘Mickey Mouse Club" Will be 
back on ABC-TV next , season but 
the economic impost on the web 
has been, softened. Reported that 
Slocum Chapin, negotiating for the 
web, held out for a reduction in 
the present $4,000,000 for 26 weeks 
Of originals and as many weeks of 
repeats and the agreement reached 
With Roy Disney, prez t of Walt 
Disney Productions, shades, that 
figure. 

'Mickey” is now 65% sponsored. 
Which, it is understood, allows for 
small; margin of profit for the net¬ 
work. 


Brit. Corn! TVs 


BBC’s (DOG Pact 


London, Feb. 4. 

Alterations, to the original deal 
set between Robin International 
and the BBC for the biggest* films- 
for-tv pact to date in Britain, are 
being discussed ip London. The 
changes proposed are for the sub¬ 
stitution of a number of the titles 
originally announced. A Robin 
International spokesman in Lon¬ 
don told Variety that the* present 
talks also dealt with the inclusion 
of a number of extra pictures to 
be covered by the initial pact. 

The deal, which was cemented 
last December, was for 100 Holly- 
wood-made feature pictures dating 
from pre-war days up till 1955,. 
with a figure stated to be well 
over $600,000 involved. The agree¬ 
ment grants the state web ty rights 
to the pictures over a period of 
seven years. Majority of the films 
were made under the RKO ban¬ 
ner. 

The Robin spokesman added 
that similar package deals are be¬ 
ing negotiated with tv outfits in 
Belgium. Holland and France?- 


Chi’s 18 FM Operations, 
20 AM’ers; 5 TV Outlets; 


Chicago, Feb. 4: 

FCC has assigned Windy City’s 
last remaining broadcasting fre¬ 
quency, an FM channel, to the cor. 
poration headed by Louis B; Lee 
which owns WSBC,. a 250-watt 
share-time AM : er here. The FM 
channel is the one vacated here a 
few years* ago by WFJL. All avail¬ 
able AM, FM and tv frequencies 
in Chi are now spoken for, al¬ 
though FCC reveals, it's still pos¬ 
sible to squeeze another station or 
two in on the AM band. 

By the local FCC count, there 
are now 18 FM operations in Chi, 
20 AM stations (including sur¬ 
rounding towns),, and five tv out¬ 
lets, one of them an educational 
station. Nighttimes the FM-ers in 
operation outnumber by far the 
AM stations. There are only eight 
of the latter in the'evening, while 
the entire > FM band is on in the 
pjn. ' 


London, Feb. 4. 

Commercial tv collared over 80% 
Sunday viewing during Novem¬ 
ber. According to Nielsen Televi¬ 
sion Index, indie tv's share of the 
viewing was 85% in London, 84% 
in the Midlands, 80% in the North 
and 86% in Scotland, 

There has also been an increase 
in the daily amount oL viewing, 
again with commercial, tv claiming 
all the extra audience time, .in¬ 
creases registered in the compare 
ative periods, September to De¬ 
cember, 1957, over the previous, 
year, showed that there was an 
upping of .4 hours a day in indie 
tv viewing, while the state web 
dropped A in two. of the months. 
These figures apply to areas where 
there is a choice of channels-—now 
around 75% of the 5,750,000 homes 
inside the Independent Television 
Authority area. 


Cost of living by Renting 
Out Its Studio Space 

Still unable to find adequate 
space in which to relocate, WABD, 
jjs planning to ameliorate the high 
cost of living at the 67th St., Man-: 
hattan, TeleCentre by renting out 
the one remaining unused studio 
(except for storage) to a telefilm 
producer. Negotiations are going 
on presently between WABD and a 
New York production house for 
Studio 4. 

Meanwhile,' WABD utilizes two 
of the other four studios and rents 
two parttime to CBS-TV. CBS, in¬ 
cidentally, is interested in buying 
the TeleCentre for its .own use, 
but it is doubtful , for the time 
whether- CBS has been willing to 
meet, the $5,000,000 asking , price 
for the TeleGentre’s. 99-year lease. 

WABD has to get rid of the for¬ 
mer warehouse which houses‘ its 
studios and offices. It’s not’only a 
question of the building haying 
been planned for - a full network 
operation and not: just a local out¬ 
let'but WABD would like to com¬ 
bine headquarters with WNEW, its 
sister radio station, which DuMont 
Broadcasting acquired approxi¬ 
mately a year ago. WNEW cur¬ 
rently maintain^ expensive studio- 
office space at 46th St. and Fifth 
Ave. 


Line Up Talent For 
Hylton’s All-Brit TV 
Shows (In Air & N.Y.) 

The London-to-New York tele¬ 
show being filmed en route by 
Jack Hylton will be shown over 
Associated-Rediffusion Feb. 17, and 
the one that the London producer! 
will film in New York will be tele-1 
cast in. London two weeks later, i.e. 
on March 1. The U.S. show will be 
all-British talent which Hyltons’ 
New York rep, Fred Harris' is try¬ 
ing to line up, including a guest- 
shot with New York's Mayor Rob¬ 
ert F. Wagner; Britishers-in-New 
York set are Mary Ure of “Look 
Back In Anger” and Peter Ustinov 
of “Romanoff and Juliet.” Alec 
Templeton, is being negotiated. 
Sarah Churchill’s Coast commit¬ 
ment^ eliminate her. Hylton also! 
wanted AlaiTJay Lemer and Fred¬ 
erick Loewe, American songsmiths! 
of -“My Fair Lady” (Rex. Harrison, 
et al.) but they, too, are tied up 
on the Coast. _ " 

.Hylton arrives tomorrow (Thurs.) 
with a cast comprising emcee HUey 
Green, legiter Lawrence Harvey, 
Australian colored pianist Winifred 
Atwell ,whistler-singer Ronnie 
Ronald and his manager, Steph¬ 
anie^ Helen Crayford, a four-and- 
one-half-year-old trumpeter; . Sir 
Donald ^Campbell, the speedboat 
and auto racer; and Rosalina Neri, 
Italian screen, star and singer who 
has' appeared in British ty, along 
with a British technical crew. 

• The specially equipped BOAC 
plane isf under -Hylton charter for 
these two transatlantic vaudeos. ■« 


Walt Disney, who now does 26L| 
“new” hours, and 26 repeats on 
ABC - TV’s “Disneyland,” may 
change the pattern to 39 and. 13 
come next fall. This is just one 
of a handful of plans being’mulled 
by the: network and Disney aiid if 
Incomes Off, it will hike the pro¬ 
duction nut considerably, a net¬ 
work source said. x 

As it stands, Disney'provides the 
web with 26 first-run ty hours, 
parts of which contain former Dis¬ 
ney theatrical product. In the re¬ 
cent past, the network pushed for 
a plan whereby all the first-run 
product would be made, specifically 
for tv and not contain any theatri¬ 
cal material. 


In looking ar ound for a new 
home, WABD-WNEW surveyed a 
site, at 50th and Third recently, 
blit it required to much of a 
technical revamping to accomodate 
a radio and television operation. 


Ann Arbor, Mich.—-Prof. Garnet 
R- Garrison, a member of the U. 
of Michigan’s Department of 
Speech faculty since 1947 and di¬ 
rector of television since 1950, has 
been named director of broadcast¬ 
ing at the university. IZe will serve 
as the administrative head for both, 
radio and tv which up to now have.] 
operated independently with, sepa¬ 
rate directors. • University's tele- 
courses are seen live on WWJ-TV, 
Detroit, and on many other com¬ 
mercial stations throughout the 
nation via kines. 


WLlB’s 140 Special 
Slows for SlA Festival 
Of Negro, Music, Drama 

WLIB’s (N. Y.) fifth annual' Fes¬ 
tival of Negro Music and Drama 
started!; last w&k and will 
run .14 days. Lined up are. 140 
special shows, including three ma¬ 
jor public'events, a classical inusic 
concert at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 
8, gospel, concert at Savoy Ball¬ 
room last Sun: (2) and rock ’n’ roll 
session, at Savoy oh Feb. 12. 
There’s nor admission charge for 
these annual WLIB salutes to New 
York metropolitan area’s 1,200,000 
Negroes. / 

Carnegie Hall recital will fea¬ 
ture Robert McFerrin, .Met Opera 
baritone; Muriel Rahn, soprano 
headliner of “Carmen Jones,” and 
others. Gospel gathering^ to be 
aired; over . WLIB,. will have Negro 
revivalists Prof. Alex Bradford, 
Prof. Charles Taylor, Sunset Ju¬ 
bilee Singers and Skylights. 

Al Hibbler, Cannonball Adderly, 
Kenny Burrell and Big Al . Sears 

and band will headline jam session, 
presented in Cooperation with Har¬ 
lem branch of Police Athletic 
League. 

Station ^also will salute Negro 
accomplishments’ in legit With 
broadcasts built around Negro ver¬ 
sions of “Waiting for Godot,” 
“House of Flowers/’ “Take a Giant 
Step” and “Lost in the Stars.” In 
addition, station will record glee 
club concerts from Negro colleges. 


Louisville—Milton Met#, WHAS 
radio and. tv staff announcer, who 
has been on leave of absence, from 
the station for the past .four 
months, has returned to his work as 
announcer and weathercaster. Metz 
his been working since the begin¬ 
ning ; of September, 1957. in the 
United Nations Public^Information 
Dept: in New York, studying its re¬ 
lations with the radio and televi¬ 
sion media. 


*** 



?»♦ MM MM »♦♦♦>♦ MM * 

IJV NEW YORK CITY ... 

Garry Moore subs for vacationing Ed Muifow as host on “Person to 
Person” Feb. 14 . . . Allan Sherman, “I’ve Got a Secret” producer, will 
be producer and head write? of the Victor Borge CBS-TV special on 
Feb. 19, with Henry Morgan and Jack Douglas as writers on the show 
and Rod Alexander & Bambi Linn added as guests and Luther Hen¬ 
derson Jr. as conductor. . . David Alexander set to direct five more 
“Decoy” vidpix after finishing his first for Official Films ... First Dav¬ 
id Sarnoff Outstanding Achievement Awards in Science & Engineering 
go to Albert Rose of the technical staff of RCA labs and David K. Bar¬ 
ton of the engineering staff of-RCA Defense Electronic Products . . . 
Bill Fagan, business manager of- the CBS-TV sales dept., named chair¬ 
man of the television &; radio division of the 1958 maintenance appeal 
committee for the George “Junior Republic” at Freeville, N.Y. . . . 
Nancy Kenny, secretary to CBS-TV prez Merle Jones, engaged to Wash¬ 
ington attorney Robert Bamford ... Gussie Moran sighed to new three- 
year pact as sportscaster at WMGM by program chief Raymond Katz 
, . . Jay Barney begins a running role on CBS-TV soaper “Brighter 
Day” tomorrow (Wed.) and is about to commence his third year as Kurt 
Bonine oh “Romance of Helen. Trent.” Incidentally, “Abe Lincoln in 
Illinois,” recording ih which Barney participated recently (it stars Rod 
Steiger) Will be aired by Voice of America world-wide (12) keyed to 
Lincoln’s Birthday. The thesp was ulso tapped for a segment of the 
Peg Lynch- Alan Bunce “Couple Next Door” airer . . Vince Scully, 
Dodger sportscaster, is marrying Jfoani Crawford .(non-pro) on Feb. 15. 
They’ll honeymoon in Jamaica and then go to Vero Beach, Dodgers* 
Florida training camp . . . Sydney Rubin, director of* CBS Television 
Enterprises, to the Coast for two weeks of business . 1 . Dick Heffner, 
META program director and “Open Mind” producer-moderator, de¬ 
livers the keynote address Saturday (8) before the Junior . Principals 
Assn, at the Waldorf-Astoria on “The Open Mind and Education” . . 

, Sam Levenson, who gets “Person to Personned” Feb. 7, speaks at the 
[ Sidney Kaufman-Bill Smith show biz course at-the New- School oh Feb. 
10 .• . . WCBS’ Bill Leonard finalizing plans for a trip to Puerto Rico 
for a special series for his “The New York. Story” and his WCBS-TV. 
“Eye on New York” series . . . Al BryariR CBS-TV manager of office 
services, elected the new president of the Passenger Traffic Assn, of 
New York , . , Eli Wallach to play the chief executioner in “Climax’s” 
Feb. 27 rendition of the Albert Anastasia killing .. . . Galen Drake hosts 
novelist MacKinlay Kantor on his Saturday (8) CBS Radio segment 
. . . Frank G. Silvernail, BBD&O manager of station relations, to head 
the radio-tv section of the public information committee for the N.Y^ 
1958 Red Cross campaign . . Cliff jpVans, “Today” sports editor, to 
cover the Major League baseball convention in Key West this week . .. 
Tom O’Brien, vet gabber-commentator, joining WINS to handle both 
news and deejay stints . . . Dick Clark’s new nighttime stanza launches 
Saturday (15) at 7:30, with Pat Boone, Jerry Lee Lewis, Connie Francis 
and the Royal Teens guesting . . . Former WLAK (Lakeland, Fla.) sales¬ 
man Ted Austin to WHLI, Long Island, in similar capacity . . . Gen. 
Alfred M. Gruenfher, Red Cross prexy, Radio-TV Exec Society luncheon 
speaker today (Wed.)—at the Roosevelt .... . Mutual has replaced the 
Don Lee regional web as a member of the Southern California Broad¬ 
casters Assn. Norman Ostby, Mutual’s west coast division manager, 
will represent the net at SCBA , . . WQR Radio has made a new public 
serviqe programming tie, joining the Emergency Weather . Warning 
System, in cooperatio^ with various Federal agencies . . . Television 
personality Bill Nimmo is the announcer on the WPIX, N.Y,, Monday- 
through-Friday evening news show, whi^h starts Ht 11 p.m. 

June Taylor, who went in as pinchhitter for James Starbuck on the 
CBS-TV “Big Record” six weeks ago, is now installed as the “official” 
choreographer of a show . . . Diana Barth sandwiching a “My True 
Story” stint this week between two appearances on “True Confessions,” 
both on NBQ Radio*. . . Leslie Barrett, currently in the off-Broadway 
“Trial of Dmitri Karamazov,” plays Albert Schweitzer op “The Eternal 
Light” Sunday (9) ., . Thomas R. Young appointed ah account exec 
With CBS Radio Spot Sales in N.Y.; he’s.ex-WEEl, Boston . . . Marian 
Carr has recorded a' story^for WMCA’s “Let’s Listen to a Story,” a 
stint for the Feb. 16 “Eternal Light” and a slidefilm voice track; for 
Seven-Up . . . Screen Gems, international operations director Bill Fine- 
shriber off on a five-week Latin American tour . . Timmy Everett, 
featured, on Broadway jn “Dark at the Top of the Stairs,” tapped for 
the lead, in the first of CBS-TV’s new “Suspense” films, : “The Fun 
Maker,” which Robert Mulligan will direct. 

IN HOLLYWOOD 

Who else but Jack Rourke as emcee of arthritis marathon on KTTV 
Feb. 16? He has guided most of them ... “You Asked For It” will have 
guestars on its changed format. So far set are Esther Williams and ex¬ 
jock Billy Pearson .. . Fred Beck, humorist-columnist, will emcee nf . 
continuous'hours of. Paramount shorts on KCOP , . CBS Radio’s 

“Frontier Gentleman” went on: the aiif>although the title character 
wasn’t picked Until two days before. Ah, that’s radio . , . Before return¬ 
ing to his N.Y. base, Howard Barnes, CBS Radio program veepee, * 
stalled Frank Paris as assistant to Lucian*Davis,, executive producer 
for the web in Hollywood . . . Eddie Shaw, mailboy at CBS-TV’s Tele¬ 
vision City, drew.his second'acting! ilole. He’ll be -getting his own moil, 
the fan kind . . . Jack Benny, rounding 39, starts his 15th consecutive 
year on the air 4ext season for American Tobacco. He got a new ticket 
long before the old one ran out . . . Mike Dann, prez of Henry Jaffe 
Enterprises, breezing around town to make filming deals for two mys¬ 
tery series he’ll soon be. selling . . / Jack McCoy is giving iip emceeing 
to peddle his*own packages. After , being around almost as long as tv, ; 
he deduced there’s no future in it for 1 him as an entertainer . . Hal 
Lansing shifted his acting'base here from Chicago , . . Producers Jer¬ 
ry Stagg and Phil Goldstone, whose tv show? were cancelled, are al¬ 
ready out peddling two new series . ... John Poole, who owns KBIG^ 
Hollywood, would also like to own an FM station in Fresno. His appli¬ 
cation is on file with FCC . . . Charles Oppenheim', CBS-TV publicity 
chief, tightened up the operation here and then scooted back to Man¬ 
hattan. ' A 

IN CHICAGO . . 

Bill Hohmann leaves WNBQ sales planning department this week'' 
to take over as head of WBBM-TV sales promotion . . . Jerry Healey, 
ex-WWCA, Gary, Ind. y has taken over WIND’S. “Nite Watch,” all night 
deejay show formerly helmed by Bill Evans ... Dan SOrkln has switched 
from WCFL’s all-nighter to the early morning stanza that was previ¬ 
ously Sonny Mars’ WNBQ director Bill Dally and wife have adopted 
a'son. .. Two announcers, Mel Galliart and Jack Taylor, ankled WBBM- 
TV last week ... Ethel Daccardo, ex-Daily News radio-tv editor now 
with Ndedham, Louis & Brorby, speaking;to fathers Of Edison PTA 
next Tuesday (11) bn the effects of tv on .children . , . WCFL deejay 
Jack Karey, now penning the Saturday record column in Chicago Amer¬ 
ican in addition to a weekly opus in five nabe gazettes . . . Andy Am- 
yx’s publicity staff at WTVH, Peoria, won the-“Maverick” contest for 
ABC affils . . . James Robertson, program manager of- educational sta¬ 
tion WTTW here, named to advisory committee of National-Assn, of 
(Continued on page 46) 




Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


Uasoety 


TELEVISION REVIEWS 


SHOWCASE 

With Fanny Hurst, others; Art Arn¬ 
old, announcer 
Producer: Art Arnold 
Director: Artie Forrest 
30 Mins., Mon.-Fri., 1 p.m. 

WABD, New York 

When Wendy Barrie and indie 
packager Lester Wolf decided to go 
their separate ways. Wolf and his 
sidekick Art Arnold whipped up 
“Showcase" as her afternoon re¬ 
placement on WABD. They hired 
novelist Fanny Hurst to front a 
roundtable, which was supposed to 
feature the stars of Broadway 
shows talking about Broadway 
shows, but what came gurgling off 
that tv screen was an abundance of 
such thin talk aboyt everything 
(and nothing) and such a super¬ 
abundance of plugeroos that it took 
plenty time to try to figure it all 
out. 

Though the station apparently 
intends for Miss Hurst to keep on 
one track for a reasonable length 
of time, the tv newcomer said on 
the air Friday (31), four days after 
she preemed, that it was her 
private intention to remain eman¬ 
cipated and talk, if she pleased, 
about “ivory, apes and peacocks'^ 
or “leap from crag to crag and not 
attempt to unify our topic/’ Her 
philosophy is that she was bring¬ 
ing meaning, into the life of house¬ 
wives everywhere: That’s all very 
well and'gbod; but this party thinks 
that however good Miss Hurst’s 
points of view may be to some peo^ 
pie, the station’s point of view— 
at least on matters relevant to tv 
—should prevail. 

Take- that Friday show, for in¬ 
stance. There’s Miss Hurst, in alb 
her garrulity; surrounded by actor- 
producer Carlos Montalban, a 
teacher of charm in the public 
school system (you heard right— 
“charm”- and the editor of House 
Beautiful. The subject, the au¬ 
thoress proclaimed, was “standard-j 
ization.” Now she apparently felt 
she. had something provocative to 
say about that and she probably did 
but she got onto something else 
(it’s hard to remember what) all 
by her lonesome. Her guests sat 
with hands in laps and hardly ven- 
lured even a polite word for at 
least 13 or 14 minutes. Then, 
somewhere in there, unexpected 
visitors—Mayor Robert* Wagner’s 
frau and Commissioner of Correc¬ 
tion Anna Kross stumbled On cam¬ 
era. Again it’s very wen and good 
that, a tv show, has enough freedom 
so that important visitors (who ex¬ 
pected to. observe. from offstage 
somewhere) are hustled on to make 
their contributions. Mrs. Kross, 
who' seems a strong-willed woman, 
too. did manage to give some com¬ 
petition vocally to Miss Hurst, 
but the topic? Think it had sflhie- 
thing to do with delinquency and 
the beauty parlor in the Women’s 
House of Correction in Manhattan. 

The plethora of plugs by Arnold, 
who wears a board and talks soft¬ 
ly, was not really tbo noticeable; 
he did them as if he were anxious 
to keep at least his contribution t.oi 
the volume of words at a consider¬ 
ate minimum. 

Tie Miss Hurst down and maybe 
WABD has the scintillating half- 
hour program Miss Hurst thinks it 
is now. Art. 


TEEN TIME DANCE PARTY 
With Jim Walton 
Producer-Director: Ed.Tnrner 
45 Mins.; Wed., 5 p.m. 

BOB COLGLAZIER’S RANCH 

HOUSE & PEPSI COLA 
WHAS-TV, Louisville 

jMaking a pitch for the teenagers, 
this WHASrTV production lias 
come up with an idea which is 
going Over big with the kids; and 
judging from sponsor interest, is 
registering solidly. Format, is sim¬ 
ple—just a. group of teenagers in a 
club room act, dancing to recorded, 
music: Jiiri Walton, station an¬ 
nouncer, - m.e/ the shindig in a. 
fatherly fashion, in fact. his own 
daughter was chosen in a drawing 
to carry on one end of a phone 
conversation with Dale Wright, 
Fraternity record vocalist, who 
chatted from Cincinnati; Walton 
then played “She’s Neat/’ Wright’s 
first platter for the. Fraternity 
label; and the youngster was pres¬ 
ented a complimentary copy of the 
record. 

Bulk of the time is filled by the 
teeners, dancing. They go about it 
in dead seriousness. Very little, evi¬ 
dent of exhibitionists—although a 
Couple < now and then has learned 
the trick of staying on camera. TO 
break up the floor shuffling rou- 
; tine, Walton had as guest a pair 
from “Holiday oh ice,” currently 
playing the Armory. The Mendozas 
Were on briefly for a q. and a. sesh, 
and must have registered with the 
kids. Tunes like “Lichtensteiner 
Polka” and others inspired tjfcf 
dancers to really do their stuff, 


i COMMENT 

With David Brink ey, Austin Kip¬ 
linger, Peter Hackes, Robert Mc¬ 
Cormick 

Producer: Julian Goodman 
Director: Ralph Peterson 
25 Mins., Fri., 11:35 p.m. (varies) 
NBC-TV, from Wa shin gton 

Cancellation of the Red Barber 
post-fights segment on NBC-TV 
Friday nights and subsequent in¬ 
ability of the web to sell a similar 
sports format has enabled NBC 
News boss Bill Me Andrew to get 
one of his pet projects slotted into 
the time. “Comment” is what the 
title implies editorialized com¬ 
ment or analysis by top newsmen 
from the network and elsewhere, 
with the participants varying each 
week. 

Opening segment, which ran long 
due to an early KO in the fighftea- 
ure, had the web’s David Brinkley, 
Peter Hackes and Robert McCor¬ 
mick, along with Washington news¬ 
letter publisher Austin Kiplinger, 
analyzing the Washington scene 
from various phases, Brinkley cov¬ 
ered what he called a “banking 
hours as usual” attitude. in D C., 
Kiplinger the future tax situation, 
Hackes the armed forces, disunity 
and McCormick other problems in¬ 
cluding education. Show was in¬ 
terrupted with the announcement 
-of the Jupiter C satellite firing, ahd 
the final few minutes were de¬ 
voted to a discussion of that. 

As framed, the problem is tough 
to swallow in one sitting. Each 
commentator takes his turn in a 
a fulldress analysis, and the tech¬ 
nique is stiff and dry, with no in¬ 
terchange of opinion. Or ideas. Lack 
Of a central theme which would 
involv.e some difference of : Opinion 
makes it even tougher, listening. 
And the immobility Of the closeup 
camera doesn’t provide any relief 
either. It’s good to hear analysis 
on. television, particularly when it’s 
freewheeling and uninhibited In 
its editorial content. But in the 
“Comment” format, it lacks stimu¬ 
lation. arid animation, arid While 
the content isn’t perfiinctory, the 
technique' is. Chan. 


BARKIS BEAT 

With Alex Barris, Gloria Lambert, 
Jack Duffy, Don Franks, Maggie 
St. Clair, Brace Marsh, Phi! 
Nimmori’s Orch 
Producer: Norm Jewison 
Writers: Frank Peppiatt, Saul H- 
son, Allan Mannings 
60 Mins.; Wed,, 11:30 p.m. 

CBL-TV, from Toronto 
in for 13 semi-monthly programs 
of 60 mi each, “The Barris Beat” 
has been..revived.by the Canadian 
Broadcasting Corp. but, so far, has 
hot been sponsored and is taking 
spot announcements, plus "lowered 
budget. Last season, “The Barris 
Beat” had alternate weekly 30-min. 
sponsorship of Standard Brands 
and Frigidaire. but has been off the! 
air since June; 

Teeoff had Barriss back as em¬ 
cee, with'format unchanged and. 
using siich cast standbys of fthe 
previous series as Gloria Lambert; 
singer; Jack Duffy, comedian; and 
Phil Nimmon’s band. However, it’s 
still a Barris show what with his 
patter exchanges, the reading of 
gag -telegrams arid his “Passe 
News” in which he satirizes head¬ 
lined events; His greatest success 
was a takeoff on “Front Page Chal¬ 
lenge,” Canada’s rating leader for 
quiz shows. In this, he used Gloria 
Lambert, Sammy Sales, Maggie St; 
Clair arid Larry Mann as panel, 
with himself as moderator. Man¬ 
nerisms of “Challenge” panel Were 
down pat by their imitators and 
whole Was a coriiedy highlight 
Miss Lambert interpolated such 
songs as "I Wish I Were m Love 
Again” drid “Glad to be .Unhappy,” 
both over nicely; with: Maggie. St. 
Clair in for finale comedy-warbling 
of “Irving” and in good voice. Don: 
Frank was in for debut of a bari¬ 
tone attempting an audition to a 
flat piano and very funny but his 
serious “All the Way” fell flat; 
ditto Jack Duffy’s “I Got Plenty; of 
Nothin’.” Here are two comics who 
should cut out the straight stuff. 

Besides lending background to 
the warblers, Phil Nimmon’s orch 
played a jazz medley; With Walter 
Susskind, conductor of the Toronto 
Syrnphony, in for a guest-interview 
with Barris arid later at the grand 
for a Bach interlude. Whole, is an 
excellent late-hour Show/with em¬ 
phasis on relaxed and amusing 
comedy. McStdy. 


although the ratherirestrictScTstage 

space prevented their getting, too 
energetic: ■ ■ . . 

Teen Time Dance Party im¬ 
pressed as a 45-riiinute sttnza, at 
which the viewer is permitted to 
look-in and enjoy agroup of whole¬ 
some youngsters have a good tune, 
while dancing and keeping rhythmic 
steps to the latest pop records. 
Walton has a paternal attitude 
toward the doings, and apparently 
enjoys his assignment. Wied. 


DEAN MARTIN SHOW 
With Frank Sinatra, Danny Thom¬ 
as, Barbara Perry 
Producer-Director: Jack Donohue 
Writer: Herb Baker 
60 Mins.; Sat. (1), 9 pjn. 

LIGGETT & MYERS 
NBC-TV, from Hollywood 
( McCann-Erickson) 

Dean Martin’s second outing 
this season with his own show was 
a flip, breezy romp all the way. 
Backed up l>y Frank Sinatra and 
Danny Thomas (who have shows 
of their own on other networks), 
the Martin stanza was an instance 
of some savvy pros being let loose 
to do their stuff and everything 
neatly falling into place. Herb 
Baker’s sharply written script, 
some slick camera work and a 
flashy production dress supplied a 
solid framework for the talent. 

The opening, sequence, in which 
Martin corned up “When You’re 
Smiling’’ while Thomas and Sinatra 
were shqwn kibitzing in the back¬ 
ground via Use of a split screen, 
set the freewheeling tone for the 
whole session. The routines and 
song numbers were , smoothly and 
cleverly linked together via run¬ 
ning gags, as, for instance, Thomas 
cutting into, a Martin 'vocal of “All 
Alone” to do his Itald dialect tele¬ 
phone bit. Martin and Sinatra, had 
the best spot on the show together, 
with a bevy of Hollywood starlets, 
an 'All-American “look” team, in 
a hep sophisticated “I Love 1 . To 
Love” song routine. It was; fast, 
bright arid just slightly naughty 
In this, respect, Barbara Perry also 
contributed - a couple of sexy, hip- 
wiggling hoofing routines in addi¬ 
tion to a marathon kissing clinch 
with Martin. 

. .Final section of the show was a 
songfest with the *three principals 
doing a rundown of tunes in the 
Oscar sweepstakes, past and pre¬ 
sent. Martin arid Sinatra hoked up 
s.oirie plugs for their own songs 
while Thomas did creditable rendi¬ 
tions on such songs as “Sayonara" 
and “Tammy/’ Earlier, Thomas 
also registered with Las Vegas 
gambling monolog. 

Plugs for the two L&M' cig 
brands also made maximum use Of 
Sinatra,, to sell Chesterfield (his 
ABC-TV' sponsor),, and Martin, for 
the new L&M Oasis line. Heriii. 


MEET MR. 

With Carter B. Storr 
Producer: Marlon Dunn 
30 Mins.; Tues., 5 p.m. 

CBC, from Ottawa 

This new weekly show on Cana¬ 
dian" Broadcasting Corp/s network 
is a highly promising slice of semi- 
disguised education. It’$ an in¬ 
triguing approach to the social 
sciences, with a “Mr. X” who each 
week, will be a man from a civiliza¬ 
tion, ancient, medieval, modern or 
contemporary. Aimed at teenagers, 
it should appeal strongly because 
of local teacher Carter B. Storr’s 
facility for drawing as he talks. 

Teeoff Mr. X was an Egyptian, 
intro’d by a cartoon drawn on 
blackboard—after first a cartoon 
of “ourselves,” holding out a hand 
of friendship which Mr. X viewed 
with suspicion because it wasn’t 
his custom and he feared it. 
“Where did he live, when, and what 
did he do?” were questions, an¬ 
nounced and answered, in £ skill¬ 
ful fusion of talk, drawing and 
Occasional photos of pyramids, 
temples, etc. . Contrast between 
Egyptian civilization’s record ran,; 
4100 B.C. - 400 A.D., and our own 
brief one since Columbus, was 
sharply illustrated by scrolls of 
comparative lengths. Everything 
possible, was related to the present 
day; Storr also went into the why’s 
of things, but occasionally iriight 
have knit material a bit tighter. 
Wound with show of books. , on 
subject; then “Next week another 
and more ^mysterious Mr. X.” 

Certainly an. easy* yet attentioh- 
requiring way to give the kids 
some basic info and lure them to 
dig for more. Marion Dunn’s pro¬ 
duction was effective arid so/ gen¬ 
erally, was Robert Beaudin’s tech¬ 
nical job—though chalk and scroll 
sounds and breathing need to be 
better. toned down. Storr, no per¬ 
sonality kid, makes up for .it wijb 
good voice arid diction, what is 
already .a fairly easy manner and 
his excellent ability and speed as 
a cartoonist. Presumably, he wrote 
uricredited continuity too. 

Card, 


Merchandise ‘McCoys’ 


arrange food, clothing and game 
tieups for thie Walter Brenrian- 
stairer. 

“McCoy” producer Irving Pincus 
made the Saperstein deal. 


More TV Reviews 
One Page 36 


“The . Real McCoys” Is also en¬ 
tering the lucrative merchandising 

lists. The ABC-TV Series has inked____ 

a deal with Henry . Saperstein to U^H^ men around me who won’t 


FROM PRECINCT TO PRESI¬ 
DENT 

(See It Now) 

With Harry S. Truman, Edward R. 

Murrow 

Producers Murrow, Fred W. 

Friendly 

60 Mins., Sun. (2) 5 pari. 

CBS-TV (film) 

When a skillful interviewer, with 
the grace and know-how of an-Ed 
Murrow, comes face-to-face with an 
articulate subject, with the frank¬ 
ness and warmth of a Harry S. 
Truman, you get the kind of show 
that is likely to go down in tv his¬ 
tory. “From Precinct to Presi¬ 
dent” impressed as another mile¬ 
stone in electronic reporting, and 
the coming-of-age of the tv inter¬ 
view. 

Even more, the Munrow-Truman 
show dazzles the imagination with 
its historic possibilities. Sunday’s 
(2) episode turned back the pages 
of history for an audience which 
had lived the events so canpily re¬ 
constructed through the words and 
personality of one of its principal 
participants. Its significance to 
future generations was best ex¬ 
pressed by Murrow, as he specu¬ 
lated tm what it would have meant 
to have had such records of past 
presidents, and his question to 
Truirian* “What President would 
you choose to see on film? ” (Tru¬ 
man’s choice^-Andrew Johnson). 

‘From Precinct to President” 
packed a dramatic and emotional 
wallop. any of the window 
dressing or gimmicks which have 
marked previous ‘‘See It. Now” 
shows. There were no filmed 
background. shots, flashbacks—^ 
nothing but straight q & a’s. The 
camera played its part by skill¬ 
fully catching the Truman person¬ 
ality as it swiftly changed moods, 
sometimes playful, often serious, 
always intense. 

The Murrow technique was never 
so well displayed as in this show, 
where it was completely back¬ 
grounded. to the answers of the 
guest. Mature* serious, and with 
striking deftness Murrow steered 
the; .former Chief' Executive back 
along the path of his career, almost 
visibly showing The man stirred by 
the results of his introspection to 
self-revelation: There were a 

minimum number of questions for 
the hour-long show, but each one 
Was so cheerfully constructed and 
welt planned that, it struck the 
jackpot, in frank, full, sometimes 
shockingly blunt answers; 

Essentially it was a serious show 
probing serious questions. It was 
best.. keynoted by Murrow himself, 
when he pointed out that “no man 
in history ever rode such a tidal 
wave in such : a. short time.” In 
three months, he pointed opt, Tru¬ 
man had become President, played 
his role in the end, of war in Eu¬ 
rope, in the end of war In Japan, 
helped launch the United States, 
and seen the beginning of the 
atomic age* Each of these momen¬ 
tous events was relived as Truman 
spoke. 

One of the few light moments 
came in response to Murriny’s 
statement that critics of HST have 
accused him of being ;o f t e n 
Iprdmpted by petulance.” Not 
denying that he was frequently “out 
of sorts,” Truman, added that he 
never. acted until he was calm. 
“The only time I ever acted when 
.1 was . out of sorts,” he wryly ad¬ 
mitted, “was when I told by a mu¬ 
sic critic where to get off when he; 
was unfavorable to my daughter. 
If . I’d have thought about it, I prob¬ 
ably wouldn’t have done it.” This 
was in reference to his famed let¬ 
ter to Washington Post Critic Paul 
Hume. 

The. show was marked by swift 
changes of mood and pace, a trib¬ 
ute again. to the skill of. Murrow, 
the consummate humanness of Tru¬ 
man. Never has the former Presi¬ 
dent been revealed more, clearly as 
the peculiar -combination of the 
average man and the talented 
leader than; in this show. He can 
say, with -a boyish. quality, “I de¬ 
cided, when I was 15, that it was 
a sissy thing to be a piano player.” 
Without rancor, he says, “I couldn’t 
find anybody to nominate me. Fi¬ 
nally, Bennett -Clark, my Missouri 
colleague is the Senate, agreed to 
da so/' And, firmly, “I don’t 


tell the truth as they see it/ Again, 
with moving sincerity, “The Presi¬ 
dent, is elected by the whole peo¬ 
ple. He must be a lobbyist for 
150 million people.” 

Truman’s deep sense of the dig¬ 
nity and importance of the office 
of Presidency was shown through 
the entire show. But so, ^odk did 
his affection and. longing for his 
first love, the U.S. Senate, reveal 


83 


RUMPELSTILT5KIN 
(Shirley Temple’s’ Storybook) 

With Shai K. Ophir, John Raltt, 
Phyllis Love, Kurt Kasxnar, 
Jonathan Hards, Peraell Rob* 
erts, John Bleifer, Otto Waldes, 
Celia Lovsky, KaryL Ann Traum, 
Roy Dean, others 
Producer: Alvin Cppperman 
Director: Dan Petrie. 

Adaptation: Frank Gabfielson 
60 Mins.; Sun. (2), 6:30 p.m. 

JOHN H. BRECK INC.; NATION¬ 
AL DAIRY PRODUCTS, HILLS 
BROS. COFFEE 
NBC-TV, from Hollywood 
(N. W. Ayer) 


Chalk up a second smash for 
“Shirley Temple’s Storybook.” 
Henry Jaffe Enterprises’ teletelling 
of “Rumplestiltskin” was superla- 
I tive, even worth a second viewing 
!—high praise today for any tv 


effort. 


Maturely dramatized, the old 
Brothers Grimm fairy tale about 
the sporting gnome yjho hires his 
magical services for the price of a 
child was as-diverting to the adult 
as it was delightful to the child. 
Fantasy was soberly woven into an 


earnest drama that was perfectly 
comprehensible to the towheads. 


yet never played down to them. It 
was a glossy production that sus¬ 
tained a fairy tale aura: the action 
moved swiftly, the scenes changed 
frequently, and the stagehands 
worked unobtrusively. 

Israeli pantomimist, "Shai K. 
Ophir* was a brilliant choice for 
the title role, giving it the proper 
fascination of the “wee people” 
besides., extra-curricular depth as 
the gamesome Herr Dwarf, who is 
only half a villian, and for sym¬ 
pathetic reasons. His desire for a 
baby to perpetuate his strange 
name Is touching and even under-' 
standable, on the adult level, and 
his. early kindness to Elsa (Phyllis 
Love) temper his later heaviness. 
The ending, in fact, is almost sad, 
when the lonely, dwarf who Can 
perpetuate miracles, like spinning 
gold out of straw, returns to the 
■Black Forest to rock an empty 
cradle. 

Phyllis Love is noble and sweet 
as the miller’s daughter who is 
victimized by her father’s boasting 
and who turns a neat switch from 
the humble to the stately when 
she puts on the royal Crown. John 
Raitt, the musicomedy star who by 
the original script was supposed to 
sing but doesn’t after all, is a regu¬ 
lar Prince Charming, as the king, 
and Kurt Kasznar turns in an effec¬ 
tive performance as the pathetic 
braggart of a father who saves the 
day when he accidentally learns 
RUmplestiltskin’s name. Jonathan 
Harris is properly menacing as the 
gold-grubbing Lord Karscb, and 
the minor roles are bandied with 
equal credibility. 

As the hostess-narrator, Shirley 
Temple still has all the bedimpled 
charms of her curlylooks days, yet 
somehow it’s not inconsistent that 
she gives the theme song a mater¬ 
nal dimension. Leigh Harline’s 
background music is lyrical and 
apt, and Dan Petrie’s direction is 
incisive, - Singular blemish was the 
closing Hills Bros, commercial 
which seems , to be born of that 
irritate-them-into-remembering ad¬ 
vertising notion—a crown of bad 
taste: on what was otherwise 59 
minutes of exceptionally good. 

Lei. 


itself. Asked if he would like to 
go back to the Senate, he pointed 
out that he was approached to do 
so in 1952, but felt it incompatible 
with his role as President to run 
for lower office. But, he longing¬ 
ly stated, “I would give anything in 
the world to be in the Senate,” 
adding, however, that he has no 
ambition to unseat the two incum¬ 
bents from his home state. 

Interview reached an impressive 
climax in a fast q & a exchange 
on world personalities. ' Here are 
some of Hie Truman appraisals: 

Churchill—“One of most agree¬ 
able men ; .'always keeps his 
word.” 

DeGaulld—“Hard to talk to . „ . 
Never sure he’d keep his word.” 

Nehru—“Honest but difficult to 
deal with.” 

Molotov—“Russians are a pecu¬ 
liar people . . , One of the most 
pig-headed m^p I've ever met.” 

Stalin—‘‘Made a good impres¬ 
sion . . . I didn’t know then he 
didn’t intend to kepp his promises 
... I don’t think Stalin understood 
when I told him about the A 
bomb.” 

Editing several days of inter¬ 
views to this fast-moving one hour 
show rates kudos. Though there 
must have been much cutting and 
juggling of segments, entire show 
unreeled smoothly in perfect se¬ 
quence arid overall unity of pat¬ 
tern.. Flor . 



84 


P&R&TT 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


HOW HIGH 




BIGGEST FEATURE 
FILM AUDIENCE 
IN NEW YORK 
TV HISTORY 


Ne t Mo vies: "The BeSi's of St. fV3 ary’ 5 -' "The Bullfighter and the Lady." "Claud 2 «?• 
Daved,” "Cyrano de Bergerac’/ "The Eve of St Mark,” "High Noon." "The Quiet IVT r.. 
"Rebecca/’ "The Red Pony." "Sands ©f hvo "Spellbound." "Tne Third Mdr. 



Gre at S tars: Ingrid Bergman. Gary Cooper, Joseph Gotten. Bing Crosbv Jose Ferrer 
loan Fontaine, Cary Grant Grace Kelly. Ray.M.'iland. Robert IV? itch urn. Maureen O ha: a 
Layreinie© Oliweer, G^eco-y Peck Vincent Price. Randolph Scott. John Wavne 








Wednesday, February 5, 1958 

( ' • • ■ 


PlfiklEFf _ ss 




i 


WRCA-TV’s Movie • 4 showing of ‘‘High Noon” drew almost 4 million viewers —the 
largest audience in New York television history for a single showing of a feature film.' 

So great was its attraction that Movie • 4’s “High Noon” gathered a larger audience 
than any other show network or local -r- on any other station all month. 

Consistent scheduling on Movie • 4 of new feature films like “High Noofi,” combined with, 
creative live programming like the “Jack Paar Show,” has enabled WRCA-TV. to cap-i 
ture conclusively the late-night audiences in New York. 

Look at a typical recent two-month period for added evidence of WRCA-TV’s superi-v 
ority: the major competition was showing post-’48 films only 24% of the time — while 
Movie • 4 presented new product at the rate of 62% , 

Now Movie • 4 has insured continued dominance by signing up the post- f 48 library of 
Republic Pictures—- the ow^ post-^S movie package in New York, with many features' 
which were released in 1956 and 1957.; 

Get your share of high ratings—at a low cost—with MOVIE • 4. Price? Package of) 
eight 1-minute participating announcements per week—just $5,000. 

Call WRCA-TV Sales, or your NBC Spot Sales representative, at Circle 7r8S00, today? 

SOURCE: New York ARB , January 195$ 



MOVIE•.4’s' success has helped 
spark audience increases 
throughout WRCA-TV’s entire 
schedule* Here’s the picture 
of the top two stations for Jan., 
’57 versus Jan., ’58: 

DAY NIGHT TOTAL WEEK 

WRCA-TV +16% +21% +20% 
Station #2 -8% -13% -11% 

Sourc*: 

*For example, the Sunday "11th Hour tyew8 u 
achieved in January the highest rating' 
in history for a local news Show —a 40.4 
with a 74.5% share of audiencel 



36 TELEVISION REVIEWS 


Foreign TV Reviews 


U.S.S.R. NOW 

Director-Narrator: Michael In- 

frams ... 

60 Mins.; Tues. (28), 9:45 pMU 
Associated-Rediffusion, from Lon* 

don (film) 

MEETINGS IN BRITAIN 
Directors: Vladimir Osminin, 

Leonid Kristi 

Associated-Rediffusion, from. Lon¬ 
don (film) 

These two hour-long films, one 
made in Britain and the other in 
Soviet Russia, are the outcome of 
an agreement last summer between 
Associated-Rediffusion'and the Tel¬ 
evision. Studios of Moscow. Under 
that pact a Russian director came 
to Britain to film with a British 
unit and a British director went 
to. Russia to make his film with 
Soviet technicians. As part of the 
deal, the two finished films are 
being shown in both countries— 
and each side has pledged its word 
not to cut the film or alter the 
commentary. 

Associated - Rediffusion’s finan¬ 
cial share in the project came to 
close on $60,000 and that’s fairly 
substantial coin by British stand¬ 
ards for two hour-long documen¬ 
tary . shows. The British company, 
however retains the foreign rights 
to the program it filmed in Russia 
and conceivably there may be con¬ 
siderable interest in it by television 
outlets in other countries. The two 
programs received network treat¬ 
ment over the British commercial 
outlet. 

A fundamental part of the Anglo- 
Russian deal was that both sides 
would avoid political issues in their 
treatment and that, to some extent, 
has colored both the finished films. 

Michael Ingrams, who directed 
and narrated ’'U.S.S.R, Now,” the 
film made by A-R in the Soviet 
Union, spent more than four 
months in that country and skill¬ 
fully avoided most of the conven¬ 
tional tourist spots to give an 
unusual and mainly absorbing 
glimpse, into the interior. Although 
he introduced a note, of implied 
Criticism, particularly in relation 
to the cost of living and the condi¬ 
tions under which mahy of the 
Russian people still live, for the 
most part he has shown unquali¬ 
fied enthusiasm for recent achieve¬ 
ments! As his commentary ex¬ 
plained, the Russians in 97 years 
have advanced from Serfdom to 
Sputnik. 

Because of his enthusiasm for 
the advances that have and are 
still being achieved. “U.S.S.R. 
Now” may arouse some surprise 
and resentment; its generally 
favorable tone would certainly 
make it a controversial attraction 
on 'American channels. 

From his starting point in Mos¬ 
cow, Ingrams traveled to Kharkov, 
on to a Black Sea summer resort, 
then on to the city of Tashkent, 
the capital of Uzbekistan, back to 
Moscow where he interviewed Stu¬ 
dents in the new university, and 
then on to Siberia, where he was 
the first foreigner to visit Irkutsk, 
the new city being built by young 
people on. the frozen wastes. His 
finished film—admirably lensed— 
is a warm human document; he 
has personalized his subject by 
showing the people in their own 
homes, at work and at play. 

The Russian-made film, in con¬ 
trast, was Surprisingly naive, it 
emerged as little more than a con¬ 
ventional travelog, showing the 
main sights, of the capital and in¬ 
cluded visits to Stratfprd-oh-Avon, 
to Scotland, South Wales and the 
Isle of Wight, where they inter- 
viewed J. B. Priestley. Also fea¬ 
tured are interviews with neighbors 
of the late George Bernard Shaw, 
a couple of farming families and a 
retired railway worker. 

The lack of British .reserve— 
contrary to expectation—was typi¬ 
fied by glimpses of a crowd at a 
football game and also by Vivien; 
Leigh leading a protest demonstra¬ 
tion against the closure of St. 
James’ Theatre. There were a so 
glimpses of Margot Fohteyn danc¬ 
ing at Covent Garden, a shot of the 
British Museum library where 
Lenin studied in exile and an in-; 
terview—in Russian—with the di¬ 
rector of the Marx House Library. 
The commentary, never particu¬ 
larly imaginative, made an insistent 
plea for peace between all nations 
and that sentiment was' introduced 
as often as possible. As entertain¬ 
ment the Russian-made film was 
below usual standards.! 

As a reflection on the scarcity 
©f consumer goods in Russia, ^the i 
Soviet-made film in Britain focus¬ 
sed attention on the well-stockBd 
shops and department stores. But, 
explained the commentary, al¬ 


though the goods were plentiful, 
cash appeared to be In. short sup¬ 
ply. The stores only did any busi¬ 
ness at sale time! " Myro, 


LOOK In any window 

With Joan Miller, Philip Latham, 
Mary Merrall, Marjorie Rhodes, 
'" Jill Williams, David Markham, 
LoiS Maclean, Althea Parker, 
Campbell Godley 
Writer: Ted Willis 
Director:; Peter Cotes ■ r " 

60 MinsC Frl., 9 p.m. 
Associated-Rediffrision' from 
London 

From the pen of Ted Willis, who 
scored large success With 
“Woman in a Dressing Gown,” 
both on tv and as a motion pic¬ 
ture, comes another large-as-life 
play, “Look in Any Window,” com¬ 
missioned specially for Associated- 
Rediffusion. Willis has the knack 
of being able to write fluently and 
xnowlbdgably about middle class 
folk and human problems, and he’s 
combined both these attributes in 
“Look in Any Window.” First class 
production by Peter Cotes and 
good all-round performances by 
the cast, gave the play maximum 
sincerity and conviction. 

The story probed into the life 
of an ordinary married couple who 
ran a small electrical equipment 
store. Afterill years of marriage, 
the wife (Joan Miller) still hid the 
secret of- an illegitimate child 
she’d had four years before get¬ 
ting, married. Finally her luck ran 
out and she had to spill the beans. 
Her easy-going, almost henpecked 
husband (Philip Latham), fed up 
with her constant frigidity and 
lack of emotion towards him,'took 
the news as the last straw. 

One fault with Willis’s story was 
the over-simplified ending .when 
all the problems were suddenly 
ironed out arid everything looked 
set for future marital bliss—to- 
. gether with the illegitimate daugh¬ 
ter as a new member of the house¬ 
hold. Notable performances by 
Joan Miller, Philip Latham arid 
Mary Merrall as the sensible moth¬ 
er-in-law. ‘ B ary. 


TRAGEDY IN A TEMPORARY 
TOWN 

With Eddie Byrne, Peter Dyneley, 
George Margo, Robert Robinson, 
Marianne Beriet, Mary Barclay, 
Paul Curran, Andreas Melan- 
drinos, Rose Alba, Tom Busby, 
Barbara Lott, Neil McCallum, 
Donald Morley, others 
Writer: Reginald Rose ' 

Directors: Stuart Latham, Dennis 
Vance 

75 Mins.; Sun. (2S), 9:35 p.m; 

ABC- Network Production from 
Manchester 

Reginald Rose approaches the 
tv play technique with a load of 
professional guile. He has violent 
things to say and knows that in 
the limited scope of tv he must 
make his poirits quickly arid defini¬ 
tively. He cannot afford to miss a 
trick by shoddy writing or loose 
; characterization. Taut writing arid 
bold direction must, preferably, be 
Staged in an unusual setting, to 
disguise the fact that he may be 
ploughing fertile, but well-tilled 
fields. He must aiso keep a shrewd 
eye on the chance of his tv offer¬ 
ing being given fresh, profitable 
life in the film world. 

“Tiagedy in a Temporary Town,” 
slotted into the Armchair Theatre” 
series, achieved all these . objec¬ 
tives. It was a variation' on the'old 
theme of the danger of mob rule. 
It had all been said before but 
rarely with such effective sadistic 
force as in “Temporary Town.” Set 
in an American trailer to\ , among 
a bunch of itinerant machine work¬ 
ers, it showed the. problems when 
a little Caesar , sets up in defiarice. 
of the law. A young girl was leaped: 
upon arid lightly, kissed by a youth 
in the woods. Terrified, she 
screamed, and the little incident 
became inflamed into a major 
issue. 

Unthinking bullies, bored by 
their existence, took over in an 
attempt to find the assailant. The 
girl, an unwilling witness, broke 
down and from sheer exhaustion 
pinned the guilt on an innocerit 
boy. Only one man .stood up to the 
would-be lynchers, arid his task was 
complicated by the fact that it was 
his son who bad factually sparked 
off the problem. As the innocent 
party was being clubbed to death 
he told, the truth and in a scathing 
speech bumbled 'the petty, brutal 
dictators. It was a specious ending. 
It was unbelievable that, an in¬ 
flamed mob should so Swiftly and 
.weakly capitulate. 

But the message did get over, i 


PS&IETY _ Wednesday, February 5, 195ft 


The message that , the human race 
is debased when it. allows prejudice 
to override cowimon sense and tol¬ 
erance.- For this Rose’s writing 
r must take considerable credit, 
backed by urgent acting and direc¬ 
tion which, never let Up in its play 
upon the nerves and the-emotions.- 
Eddie Byrne, a considerable and 
versatile Irish actor, was first-rate 
as the glowering, hate-ridden bully 
who organized the mental lynching 
party. Peter Dyneley had! less obvi¬ 
ous! opportunities as the Irian who 
stood out against the oppression, 
but was always dominant in his 
scenes and took over the climax 
with great effect. 

George Margo as an ape-like 
muscle-moron, Neil McCallum as 
the youngster who caused all the 
bother, Tom Busby as the innocent 
victim of mob violence, and An¬ 
dreas' Melandririos as his pathetic 
Puerto Rican father also responded 
aririirably to a very good script. 
On the distaff side there were less 
chances, but; Barbara Lott and 
Marianne Renet, as the young girl 
Who was . innocently attacked, 
brought pathos and sensitivity to a 
grim and sombre, theme which 
lacked any touch of humor. 

Powerful effect was. obtained by 
Eddie Byrne’s inquisitions takirig 
plarie in the cramped arid offbeat 
atmosphere of small caravans and 
in this connection T imothy 
O’Brien art work could riot be 
faulted. Rose, who has. already 
proved .himself one of the slickest 
Of tv. dramatists, might do well to 
dismount, temporarily, from his 
hobby horse. Effective though 
“Tragedy in a Temporary Town” 
was, it offered very little new light 
on . the vexed problem of how one 
temporarily insane character can 
affect a whole community. Rich. 


DER MEISTERDIEB 
(The Master Thief) 

With Maximilian Schell, Brigitte 

Grothum. Frich Fiedler, Hugo 

Llridinger, Hertha Kravina, Pe¬ 
tra Peters, Walter! Bluhm, Edith 

Elsholtz, Horst Beck, others 
Producer: UFA 
Director: Yolker vdn Collande 
Writer: Roland Klemig 
75 Mins.: 8:15 p.m.. 

West German TV, from Bavarian 

Radio (Munich) 

This is the second UFA-made 
vidpic shown here. And already 
the reviewer is inclined to wonder: 
this company has really a peculiar 
taste with regard, to. picking its tv 
story material. “Cardillac,” UFA’S 
initial vidpic (preemed Nov, 2), was 
a considerable flop. “Master Thief” 
may not be called a flop, but it’s no 
success either. Like ’‘Cardillac," 
whose story locale was Paris 1680, 
“Master Thief” Is ah, “ancient 
story” item which calls itself a! 
“fairy tale for adults after motives, 
irom 1,000 and One Night.” 

But: these costume offerings 
just don’t come .off so well op the 
small tv screen. They are mostly 
on the dull side. And, despite a 
competent cast, such is the case 
here, Fortunately, this piece doesn’t ! 
take itself serious, it makes fUn 
of its characters. And that com¬ 
pensates a bit for the compulsory 
absence of color and big scenery 
which such stories actually require. 

Story has to do with Abu. del 
Hassan, a handsome lad, who 
comes to Bagdad to take up the 
job of a gardener. But his weak- 
ness for beautiful women brings 
him into several complicated situ¬ 
ations with the result that he be¬ 
comes d thief instead of a gardener. 
He nearly loses his head in the 
ending , but. the caliph’s daughter, 
who has taken a crush erf him (and 
vice -versa), takes care; of a happy 
ending. 

Maximilian Schell, Maria Schell’s 
brother, plays the title role and 
has obviously much fun with it. 
Brigitte -GrothUm, a real looker, 
portrays the stweet caliph’s daugh¬ 
ter. They make an attractive cou¬ 
ple.' Cast includes several estab¬ 
lished players such as Erich Fied¬ 
ler, Petra Peters, Walter Bluhm, 
among others. Direction by Volker 
von Collande is not always smooth 
but generally, satisfactory arid at 
least more adequate than recently 
with ‘‘Cardillac.” Strangely enough, 
show was supposed to run 55 min¬ 
utes. It ran 75 minutes, Hans. 


VIA DEL SUCCESSO 
With Walter Chiari, Carlo Campa- 
nini, Tina deMola, Gianni Agus, 
Marisa Borroni, Mike Bongiorno, 
guests, Beriolazzi Orch. 

Director: Vito Molinari 
85 Minutes., Sun. 9 p.m. 

RAI-TV, from Milan 
This new variety stanza makes 
a welcome addition to. the New 
.Year’s weekly fare in this country, 
helping consolidate —' RAI -TV’s 
weekend programming punch with 
3 solid one and one-quarter hour 
comedy show. It also provides 
Walter Chiari with , a fine oppor¬ 
tunity to display his personality 
and versatile talents in the (locally) 
new medium. 

Despite some minor lighting! 



Playhouse 90 

Elick Moll, who fashioned “The 
Gentleman From Seventh Avenue” 
for “Playhouse 90” on CBS-TV last 
week would be described as a bale- 
fa ost (efficient) scriptwriter by the 
boys in cloaks and suits. Moll had 
previously demonstrated in “Size- 
man and Son,” the Eddie Cantor 
vehicle, that he can write garment 
center dialog with an uncanny ear. 
In his latest endeavor of the piris- 
and-rieedle trade, he had excellent 
support' in all departments, acting, 
directing arid production. 

This was vastly superior to the 
standard tripe 1 about goings-on of 
dress riianufacturers. Walter Slezac 
in the role of boss man of the 
frenzied Seventh 'Ave. establish¬ 
ment played it superbly we]l. In 
fact, the entire cast with Patricia 
Neal as the designer; Robert Alda 
as star salesman with a proclivity 
for pinching female hemispheres; 
Sylvia Sidney, as the psychology- 
lecture-attending' spouse of the 
dress manufacturer; Leo Fuchs, as 
the presser, and Larry Dobkin, the 
harassed, production bead, turried 
!‘The Gentleman From Seventh 
Avenue” into a high-grade piece of 
dramatic goods. 

Story line dealt with. a middle- 
ager married more than 30 years, 
with, an excellent rating at Dun & 
Bradstreet. but possessed of a long¬ 
ing for more cultural pursuits. It 
carried him into an innocent affair 
with his dress designer and some' 
delightful misunderstandings with 
his wife and teen-age daughter. 

Singer Sewing Machines (who 
else?) furnished the factory layout, 
adding considerably to-the realism 
of . Albert Hechong’s sets. Consid¬ 
erable thought arid taste went into 
the furnishings of the dress manu¬ 
facturer’s office and home. But, 
above all, the dialog shone and 
crackled, notably in the scenes be¬ 
tween the designing star salesman 
and designer. Other standout 
scenes were the under-played 
drunk bit by Miss Neal;;the bed¬ 
room conversation between hus¬ 
band and wife, and the crip cracks 
of the salesman jm the make. " 

This offering humanized the gar¬ 
ment industry. It-was Indeed hand- 
tailoring by scriptwriter Moll. 

Rans. 


Lucille Ball-Desi Ariiaz Show 

It’s , getting more difficult * to 
“love Lucy.” The fourth outing of 
the Ball-Arnaz caper on CBS-TV 
Monday 13) was a - contrived, slap¬ 
stick affair weak on humorous 
dialog and which leaned too heavily 
on sight situations that seemed to 
have been culled from the Mack 
Sennett-Hal Roach days of' silent 
comedy shorts. 

Plot, as constructed by Madelyn 
Martin, Bob Carroll Jr., Bob Schil¬ 
ler and Bob Weiskopf, centered 
on a horse, Lucy’s attempts to hide 
the horse from DesI (Jimmy Du¬ 
ran te’s classic ^‘What elephant?” 
line was .revainped for this one) 
and Lucy’s riding the horse in the 


flaws, initial show made for solid 
viewing, while the frequent spoofs 
of other Italo teleshows and per¬ 
sonalities provided some fresh 
laUgh material ' previously un¬ 
tapped, probably for internal cen¬ 
sorship reasons, by previous Varie¬ 
ty stanzas. Best of lot was takeoff 
on “Lascia o Raddoppia,” the pop¬ 
ular quizzer, with emcee Mtfce 
Bongiorno having tables turned on 
him in a new contestant- role, and 
yhiari neatly ribbing the quiz¬ 
master. Tina DeMola and Gianni 
Agus inserted some musicomedy 
interludes to good effect, while an 
unbilled trio managed a fine and 
laughable imitation of three top 
Italian showbiz personalities, Tina: 
Pica, Carlo Dapporto, and Delia 
Scala. Brief guests stints were 
lurned iri by opera singer Giu¬ 
seppe Di Stefano, who sang a 
pc>pular song for a .switch, arid 
Bianca Maria Picqinino, comely tv 
announcer whose show is currently 
off the air. Other numbers filled 
show without a lag. 

But principal burden went to 
Chian, ably backed .by his long¬ 
time partner Carlo Crimpanini, and 
the coriiedian milked his chances 
to the limit in his youthful and 
ingratiating way, proving himself 
once more v to he this country’s 
most “modem” comic. 

Sets, for the first show were 
functional and apt, while announcer 
Marisa Borroni, was - somewhat 
wasted in the all-star shuffle of 
the opening stanza. Musical, back- 
dropping by (invisible) Beriolazzi 
Orchestra was routine. Show helps 
fill a much-felt lack. of comedy, pro¬ 
grams on the Italian telenet. 

Hawk. 


trotters, in all it was more noise 
than comedy. • 

For this outing show called on 
Betty rtJrable and Harry Jarhes to 
help 'build the situation. Their 
contribution was virtually mean¬ 
ingless except when Miss Grable 
showed off her gams in a terp se¬ 
quence to Arthur Hamilton’s “The 
Bayamo.” Trumpeter James got 
off some riot licks on this one, too 

Show’s steadies, William Frawl 
ley and Vivian Vance, assisted i 
theu: usual capable manner. 

Qros. 

George Gobel Show 
his juesday night alternation 
With Eddie Fisher on NB.C-TV 
George Gobel has been an in-and- 
outer. Last week it was an “inner” 
and the comedy, while not boist¬ 
erous, had the feathery touch of 
sly humor and sustained, the airy 
mood though the guided manner¬ 
isms of the droll comic. He was 
iriore like the little funmaker of 
past seasons when his ratings were 
double of what he’s now getting. 

The show had sharper routining 
and better spaced with other ele¬ 
ments that make up the hour. Ger¬ 
trude Berg in her “Molly Gold¬ 
berg” character stepped up the 
laughs; Jeff Donriell did well iri a 
skit that managed to keep the hu¬ 
mor perking, and Fisher traded a 
few sillies with Gobel that, is by 
now stock with his show as well as 
Fisher’s. . 

On the more serious side were 
the songs of Johnny Mathis, a bal-. 
lader whose styling has caught the 
popular, fancy, and the cyclonic 
dances of Barbara Bostock with 
four male escorts who heated up 
the boards. Shirley Hariner, a 
looker with a voice to match, 
seemed to/ be wasted' on one song. 
She should be kept around just to 
dress up the landscape. Since 
Fisher takes a helping of comedy, 
it is only natural that Gobel should 
invade his province—music. His 
production number, “Put a Light 
in the Window,” was one of the 
show’s high points. Gobel also took 
a turn with Mathis arid in a spooL 
on Perry Como’s stools they did a 
number on ladders. Fisher wrapped 
his tonsils around “Begin the Be¬ 
grime” in his usual easy mariner, 
better than most who are reviving 
this Cole Porter classic: 

Production of Harry Tugend and 
Norman Abbott’s direction proved 
a blending of skills that gave the 
show, its pleasant pace. . Helm. 

Matinee Theatre 

A hew approach to an old story, 
“Love Out Of Town” was hardly 
subtle in its telling* but though 
midday viewers, may have known 
WHAT was going to happen next, 
the method and construction of the 
William McCleery teleplay was 
well aimed at keeping them guess¬ 
ing HOW. 

Totally, it was a satisfying, pro¬ 
duction; holding up producer Mc- 
Cleery’s reputation for airing top- 
notch. entertainment during day¬ 
light hours. Alan Hanson directed 
this Sarah Churchill starrer with a 
well composed hand of romanticism 
and conflict, And Miss Churchill, 
showed remarkable skill and 
warmth as - an actress caught be¬ 
tween her own self-will and a de¬ 
sire to be submissive, Richard An¬ 
derson, as a critic, turned novice 
drama coach, was just light-hearted 
enough to cast humor into the pic¬ 
ture without disturbing his sincer¬ 
ity. Well cast and appropriate i 
feeling were Dennis Patrick, Jean 
Carson, Joel Marston, Williain 
Keene and Halph Gamble. 

With an. unseen background of 
_ “Madam Butterfly” stage play. 
Miss Churchill portrayed a noted 
film star riiaking her bid on the 
legitimate stage. When the play 
opens out of town, it’s a sure flop, 
panned by everyone connected 
with it except the director who 
feels his feeling and spirit add just 
the right note. Secretly, Miss 
ChurchilT contacts Anderson, one 
of the panning critics, and the no¬ 
ble gentleman spends each morn¬ 
ing from 8 to 9 giving her a few 
pointers on how to play the part.. 
The heroine actually is in love with 
the director and wants'to change 
her characterization without his be¬ 
ing aware that it wasn’t born, from 
his direction. But he’s too smart; 
the plot fails when he refuses the 
improveirients; and off he goes to 
parts unknown, leaving Miss 
Churchill to fall in love with the 
debonair critic, which everyone 
knew she would do anyway- . 

Separating the well conceived 
segments were a myriad of . com^ 
mercial interruptions that still 
continue to give the .engrossed 
harisfrau a chance to start the fire 
under the soud. Ron. 



Wednesday, February 5, 1958 




)>Ak% 


4 ^ 




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with thrilling action... with a cast of hundreds. 

Now you can own this big budget show locally... 
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Write , •. wire ... § call for details. 


TELEVISION SUBSIDIARY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES 

i+i i FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, N. V. 

NEW YORK• DETROIT• CHICAGO 'HOLLYWOOD• NEW ORLEANS* DALLAS 


IDEAL FOR 

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a total of l.'K' exciting hail !:■ > i: - 
with these other top-rai-l 

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76 Ho 


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• ' 4 : y fr. ~'_ —---- 












38 


a TV-FILMS _ P&RTEfT Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


J^RIETY - ARB City-By-City Syndicated Film Chart 

• \ 

VARIETY’S weekly chart of cily-by-city ratings of syndicated and run 
tional spot film covers 40 to 60 cities reported by American Research Bur* 
eau on a monthly basis. Cities wiU be rotatedeach Week, with the 10 top- 
rated film shows listed in each case, and their competition shown opposite. 

All ratings are furnished by ARB,. based on the latest reports; 

This VARIETY chart represents a gathering of all pertinent informa¬ 
tion about film in each market, which can be used by distributors, agencies , 
stations and clients as an aid in determining the effectiveness of a filmed 
show in the specific market. Attention should be paid to time-^-day arid 

t 


TOP 10 PROGRAMS 

AND TYPE 

STATION 

ISTR1B V 

DAY AND 

TIME 

DECEMBER 

RATING 

SHARE 

(%) 

SETS IN 
USE 

1 TOP COMPETING PROGRAM 

| PROGRAM STA. 

RATING 

PHILADELPHIA 

Approx, Set Count —2,000,000 

Stations —WRCV (3), WFIL (6), WCAU (10). 

WVUE (12) 

1. Popeye Theatre (Ch)...:. 

2. Highway Pairol (Adv)....... 

3. San Francisco Beat (Dr).*... . 

4. The Honeymooners (Co). 

5; Silent Service (Adv). 

6. Golden Playhouse (Dr).. 

7. Annie Oakley (W).... 

8. Byline (Adv)... 

8. Death Valley Days (W)....,,. 

9. TV Readers Digest (Dr),..... 

10. Whirlyhirds (Adv)... 

. WFIL.... 
.WCAU... 
.WCAU;.. 

.WRCV... 
WFIL.... 
. WCAU... 

.WCAU... 
.WCAU; i. 

. WRCV. *. 

,WFIL.... 

.WCAU... 

.CBS........ . . 

CBS......*..... 

.:nbc,.. 

....... .CBS -, 

, M-F 6:00-6:30 .. 

, Sat. 7:00-7:30 
'.Sat, 10:30-11:00 

.Tues., 7:00-7:30 . 
..Sun. 6:30-7:00 . 

. .TUes. 10:30-11:00 

Sat. 5:30-6 00 .. 

.,....,29.7.... 

.......27.9..., 

...... 22.0.... 

.......17.4.,., 

....... 16.4..,. 

.......16.3.... 

.,.. i,. 15.0..., 

..... 72.8... 
..... 689.... 
..... 44.4 ... 

..... 423 ... 
... .,°36.6..;. 

..... 48.5..,. 

..... 40.8 

..... 49.6 

.,_35.9 

Waterfront ...........,... 

Captain David Grief...;... 
Your Hit Parade......,. .... 

Worlds Best Movies.;.*. 

News-John Daly.. 

Harbor Command 

Newsreel; Weather. 

Boots And paddles. 

NCAA Football.... 

.WRCV 
.WRCV 
. WRCV .. 

* WFIL 
.WFIL 
.WCAU .. 
.WFIL .. 
.WRCV .. 

• WRCV ... 

8.3 

5.4 
...,15;8 
... .13.5 
..,.12.5 
....102 
....13.3 
....13.0 
.... 10.8 

.;... .M&A.......;... 

Alexander.;;,. 

......CBS., " 

. .Sat. 6:30.7:00 . . 

...Mon. 7:00-7:30 . 

. Sun, 6:00-6:30 
Wed. 7:00-7:30 . 

14.8,... 

.;.... 14.8.,. 

_.,,14.4,... 

-14.3-... 

..... 33.5.... 

..... 31.4 
42.7 

NCAA Football.....__ 

Football Scoreboard.*... 

Newsreel .. 

Gray Ghost........ ..*.,. 

; Twentieth Century........ 

News-John Daly...,....... 

.WRCV .. 
.WRCV ;. 
.WFIL .. 
.WCAU . 
WCAU 
.WFIL .. 

.... 6.3 
.... 4.3 
....118 
....11.5 
9.8 
....16:3 

DETROIT 

Approx. Set Count— 

-1,610,000 

Stations —WJBK (2), WWJ (4), WXYZ (7), CKLW (9) 

1. Popeye The Sailor (Ch).. . . 

CKLW... 


. . Mon.-Sun. 6:00-6:30 .27.9_ 

..... 60.3... 

.46.3 

Frontier Doctor.. 

.WXYZ .. 

....18.0 

2. Death Valley Days (W)._ 

.WWJ_ 


.Mori. 7:00-7:30 . 

...24.5... 

..... 55.7,... 

.44.0 

I Led 3 Lives.. 

.CKLW 

9.1 

,...10.7 

63 

3. Amos^V Andy (Co)......... 

WWJ_ 


. .Wed. 7:00-7:30 

,23.1... 

..... 49.1..., 

..... 47.0 

Don Ameche.... 

.W^BK .. 

4. Brave Eagle (W)... 

.CKLW:.. 

CBS_.... . . ; 

. .Thurs. 6:30-7:00 

....... .20.8... 

., . 55.3... 

..... 37.6 

Man Behind the Badge... 

.CKLW . 
WJBK 
WW.T ,,. 

5. The. Honeymooners (Co)..... 

. WJBK... 

..... . CBS............ 

.Sat. 10:30-11:00 

.;20.3 ... 

..... 393.... 
..... 42.4.... 



,.. .15.7 

6. Highway Patrol (Adv). 

. wjSk. 

Ziv. ......_ 

..Tues. 10:30-1 LOO 

.19.3... 


Basketball . 

.WXYZ . 

,..,14.0 

7. Casey Jones (Adv) ......... 

.WWJ.... 


. Tues, 7:00-7:30 

,19.2,.. 

..... 42.9:.. 


State Trooper. 

. CKLW . 

....122 

8. Frontier Doctor (W)........ 

.WXYZ... 

...... H-TV .. 

. .Sun. 6:00-6:30 ... 

.18.0 ... 

..... 35.3... 


Popeye The Sailor. . 

CKLW .. 

...22.9 

9. Sky King (Adv). ... .\ . 

.WXYZ... 

..... NabiscoV;... . . ... 

. Sun, 6:30-7:00 

.173... 

_ 36.5... 

w... 47.4 

Premiere Film Parade..... 

.WWJ ... 

... .12.4 

10. Last o* the Mohicans <W)... 

. CKLW 

TPA.,. .. ....... 

. ThUrs. 7:00-7:30 

...,... 1*7.0.,. 

.46.6... 

..... 36.5 

Michigan Outdoors _ 

.WWJ 

,.,10.5 

SAN FRANCISCO 

Approx. Set Coimt—1,550,000 


Stations —KRON (4), KPIX (5), KGO (7) 

1. Highway Patrol (Adv) . 

KRON... 

Ziv.:. .. : 

. Tues. '6:30-7:00 

...26:3... 

..... 53.0... 

..... 49.6 

Name That Tune... 

\ ' 

.KPIX .. 

....13.9 

2. Search for Adventure (Adv),. 

.KPIX.... 

.... Bagnall.v....... 

. .Thurs. . 7:30-8:00 

......255... 

..... 43.0... 


Tic Tac Dough. 

.KRON .. 

.... 17.0 

3. Science Fiction Theatre (Adv) 

KRON.,. 

. . . ZlV. ... . r 

'. Thurs. 6:30-7:00 

..23.5.., 

..... 60.3... 


Success Story..... 

.KGO 

9.9 

4. The Honeymooners (Co). 

.KRON.,. 

......CBS..,,, 

Thurs; 7:06-7:30 

.......21,8.:. 

..... 44.9... 

_«. 48.5 

6. Henry Playhouse ...... 

, KPIX . 

.,. .20.8 

5. Harbor Command (Adv>..... 

.KRON.. * 

ZiV.,...,-... 

. Wed. 6:30-7:00 , 

... .>.,21.5... 

..... 51.8... 

.41.5 

Last Of the Mohicans ..*... 

.KPIX 

_,12.1 

6. O. Henry Playhouse (Dr). 

.KPIX,,.. 


..' Thurs: 7:00-7:30 

:; . . ,20.8;.. 

.42.9... 

48.5 

The Honeymooners.,,... . * 

.KRON 

.21.8 

7. Silent Service (Adv).... 

.KRON... 


. . Sat. 7:00-7:30 .. 

_20.6 .. 

..... 40.3 ... 

.51.1 

KPTX 

. .24.8 

8. Mr. District Attorney (Myst), 

.KRON... 

Ziv.... 

. Mon. 6:30-7:00 . 

--19.7. .. 

..... 45.4,., 

..... 43.4 

Robin Hood.. 

.KPIX ... 

.....15.2 

9. San Francisco Beat (Dr)....... 

. KPIX . . ; 

.... .. CBS. ......... .. 

. .Sat. 10:30-11:00 

.19.4... 

..... 51.7... 


Biggie Show............. i 

.KGO 

9.7 

10. Sheriff of Cochise (W) .. 

.KRON... 


.. Sat. 6:30-7:00 .. 

.......19.2... 

40.7... 

..... 47.2 

Ferry Mason.. ... 

.KPIX 

.,24.1 


time factors, since sets-iri-use and audience composition vary according to 
time slot, i.e., a Saturday afternoon children’s show, with a low rating , may 
have it large share and. an audience composed largely of children, with cor¬ 
responding results for the sponsor aiming a* tfie children 9 s market, 'Abbre¬ 
viations and symbols are as follows: (Adv), adventure; (Ch), children's? 
(Co), comedy; (Dr), drama; (Doc), documentary; (Hus), musical; 
(Myst), mystery; (Q), quiz; (Sp), sports; (W ), western; (Worn), 
women 9 s. Numbered symbols next to station call letters represent the sta¬ 
tion’s channel; all channels above 13 are VHP, Those ad agencies listed as 
distributors rep the national sponsor from whom the film is aired. 


BALTIMORE Approx. Set Count —664,500 Stations —WMAR (2), WBAL (11), WJZ (13) 


1. Highway Patrol (Adv)....WMAR,.. 

2. Men of Annapolis (Adv)...... WMAR. 

3. Popeye The Sailor (Ch),..... WJZ 


4. Brave Eagle (W).......;.WMAR,.. 

5. Casey Jones (Adv)...........WJZ....., 

6. Death Valley Days (W)....... WBAL..., 

7. Studio 57 (Dr)_.........WJZ. 

8. Frontier (W)----..... WBAL. .., 

9. Waterfront (Adv)............. WMAR.., 

10. Amos ’n’ Andy (Co).WMAR.., 

10. Man Behind the Badge (Myst) WMAR... 


.Ziy.,. . , . .;. . .. . . 

. ;Sat. 7:00^7:30 

.26 9 


. 46.4 

Early Show; Dateline... 

...WJZ ...... 

. .15.3 

..Ziv..;*...;..... 

..Sat. 10:30*11:00 ...... 

.24.5.. 

......v ; 43.1 

. 56.8 

Late Show!.... .... 

...WJZ 

..18.4 

. AAP. .. 

. . M-F 4:45-5:00 .. 

Sat. & Sun. 5:30-6:00 

23,0.. 


. 34.4 

Conquest .... 

....WMAR .... 

..11.3 

..CBS ......_ 

. Sat. 6:30-7:00.. . 

.20.9.. 

....... 49.8........ 

42.0 

Early Show.. 

....WJZ 

..15.2 

.Screen Gems.... 

. Mon * 7:30-8:00 

.19.5,. 


. 52.6 


...WMAR .... 

. .16.9 

. Pacific-Borax. 

.Mon.,7:00-7:30 ....... 

.16,0,. 

....... 35.9........ 

. 44.6 

Early Show; Dateline... 

...WJZ ...... 

. .17:5 

..MCA.... 

..Wed; 10:60-10:30 ..... 

.15,4.. 


. 63.2 

This Is Your Life...... 

....WBAL. 

,.27.0 

. NBC.*.......... 

. Wed. 10:30-11:00 ..... 

.14.1.. 


. 48.5 

U. S, Steel Hour......, 

....WMAR ...K 

..17.0 

..MCA.,.. 

..Mon, 6:30-7:00 ....... 

.13.9.. 


. 37.9 

Early Show........ .. ,. 

....WJZ ...... 

..18,1 

.CBS........... 

.. M-F 6:00-6:30 ....... 

.13.6,. 


. 39.9 

Early Show...........* 

....WJZ ...... 

..18.9 

. MCA........... 

Fri. 6:30-7:00 ........ 

.13,6.. 


36.1 

Early Show.. ... . . ..... 

....WJZ ...... 

..18.1 


CINCINNATI Approx. Set Couirf—662,000 Stations —WLWT (5), WCPO (9), WKRC (12$ 


1. Highway Patrol (Adv)....., 

.WKRC........ 

; ZiV.. . .. .. 

.... Sat. 10:30-11:00 . . 

... . 36.8.. 

... 63.2.. 


Your Hit Parade.. 

.WLWT ... 

. .18.7 

2, Dr. Christian (Dr) ......... 

. WKRC*....... 

.Ziv.. ... ...... 

....Mon. 7:00-7:30 

.... .24.6:. 

• **.*4>** 53.4.. 


Pantomime-Hit Parade..... 

.WCPO .... 

... 9.8 

8. Frontier Doctor (W) ... 

.WCPO. 

. H-TV.. 

. . .. JTri. 10:30-11:00 . . 

.... ..24.4.. 



Person to Perstm... 

.WKRC ... 

...22.5 

4. Death Valley Days (W)... .. 

.WKRC. 

. Pacific-Borax.. 

... Fri. 7:00-7:30 .... 

.....241.. 



Pantomime Hit Parade..... 

.WCPO ., 

9.0 

5. Cisco Kid (W)....... 

WCPO.. 

. Ziv .....* 

.Sun. 6:00-6:30 ,... 


45.5.. 


Best of MGM ....... 

.WLWT ... 


6. Kingdom of the Sea (Doc)... 

.WLWT, 

..Guild,.,.,. 

Wed. 7:00.7:30 ..., 

...... 20.1.. 

46.5., 


Pantomime Hit Parade...»• 

.WCPO .... 

... 9.7 

7. Annie Oakley (W). 

.WCPO..,...., 

.CBS....*;.- 

. Fri. 6:00-6:30 .. 

19.2.. 



Heading West............. 

.WLWT 

7.9 

8. Sheriff of Cuchise (W).,,.., 

, .WKRC. 

,,’NTA. 

. Thurs. 7:30-8:00 ;, 

..19.1.. 



Circus Boy.,......,..*...' 

.WCPO .... 

...17.7 

9. Silent Service (Adv)... 

..WKRC...,..,. 

..NBC,_ 

Fri. 7:30-8:00 .... 

__18,3.. 

• a* * *.. 38.5., 


Rin Tin Tin......,.,..... 1 . 

.WCPO .... 

. .22.5 

10. Secret Journal (Dr):........ 

.WCPO..__ 

,.;mca.'....^*^,, 

... Tues. 10:30-11:00 . 

..18.2.. 

....... 48:1;* 


Code 3..... 

.WKRC .... 

.11.8 


































































































































































































































































Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


Variety 


RADIO-TELEVISION 



TV—It Gets Around WORLD HI SET |iWs WABD op Real Live Kick; 


COUNTRIES 

Western Europe 

Austria 

Belgium 

Denmark 

Finland 

France 

West Germany.. 
Italy. ..... ...... 

Luxembourg 
Monaco ........ 

Netherlands # ... 

Norway 

Portugal 

Saar 

Spain 

Sweden ........ 

Switzerland .. 
United Kingdoi 
Tukoslayia 


STATIONS 
Dec. Planned 

1957 1958 


RECEIVERS 
In Use 
Dec. 1957 

15,000 

250,000 

100,000 

7,000 

700,000 

1,250,000 

700,000 

1.400 

0,000 

200,000 

300 

4,500 

6,0OO 

6,000 

65,000 

30,000 

6,000,000 

4,000 


1:6D.15Q. 


Latin America 

Argentina 

Brazil 

Chile ......... 

Colombia 
Costa Rica 
Cuba 

Dominican Rep. 

El Salvador 

Guatemala 

Mexico 

Nicaragua 

Panama 

Peru 

Uruguay 

Venezuela. 


Near East, So. Asia 
and Africa 

Algeria 

Cyprus 

Egypt 

Greece 

India 

Iran 

Iraq ... 

Kuwait 
Lebanon 
Morocco 
Saudi. Arab! 

Tunisia 

Turkey 


TOTAL 
FAR EAST 
Australia ... 


Hong Kong (closed circuit) 

Japan ...... r... 

Korea (South) 

Philippines 

Thailand 


Communist Bloc 

Bulgaria 

CzechOslavakia 

East Germany 

Hungary 

Poland 

Rumania 

USSR - 

Communist China 


Dotto’s Slotto 


“Dotto,” the new Frank Copper 
daytimer which was launched on 
CBS-TV only two weeks ago, has 
been sold in England to the AT.V 
commercial .group. Sy Fischer j 
Cooper partner and head of the 
N. Y. office, set. “Dotto” and an¬ 
other Cooper package, “Keep It in 
the Family,” currently on ABC-TV, 
in the two-show deal with' Lew 
Grade and Val Parnell, ATV top¬ 
pers. “Family” will start within 
the month and “Dotto” next Sep¬ 
tember. 

Another property in which the 
Cooper office has an interest, “The 
Lineup,” was set in England seme 
time ago via CBS Film Sales. 

While in England, Fischer is also 
setting up two co-production deals, 
one of which is a series based up¬ 
on the wartime RAF'which will be 
done in association with Ben Ficz, 
-a producer at J. Arthur Rank. Ray 
Allen, a Cooper client who’s in 
England workidg bn the “Dick & 
Duchess”, series, will write the 
RAF nrolect 


500 

160,000. 

150,000 

2,000 

25,000 

7,500 

2,000,000 


Mutual Finally Finds 
A Pitt Outlet, But CBS 
i Is Still on the Prowl 

Pittsburgh, Feb. 4. 
Mutual radio network has found 
a Pittsburgh outlet again. Web 
has long been without a steady 
local beam, and chances were grow¬ 
ing dimmer for a connection with 
one of the big downtown stations; 
when NBC. recently bought WJAS, 
now. WAMP, and ABC picked up 
KQV. Of three others, KDKA is 
a Westinghouse. property and Post- 
Gazette’s WWSW and Hearst’s 
WCAE prefer to operate as indies. 

So Mutual has Just signed with 
WMCK In nearby McKeesport; 
which has a strong signal into the 
met area. Although most of the 
stations in and around the fringe 
are daytime operations, WMCK 
isn’t. It’s a full-timer. Mutual tie- 
up; begins immediately. 

Now CBS is the only major net 
without a Pittsburgh affiliation, 
and it’s still trying desperately to 
arrange something but so far with¬ 
out any success; 


The growth of television over¬ 
seas, has surpassed previous esti¬ 
mates, 'according to the U.S. In¬ 
formation Agency. Exclusive of 
the U S. and Canada, the number 
of tv stations increased from 260 
to 447, and the number of sets 
from 11,500,000 to nearly T6,500.- 
000, as of December, 1957. 

It is estimated that by the end of 

1956, 610 tv stations will be in op¬ 
eration, and about 22,000.000 sets 
jn use overseas. Included in these 
totals are figures and estimates 
from Communist bloc countries. 

The overseas set count of 16,- 
500,000; added to the approximate 
41,000,000 set count in the U.S., 
and the 2,650,000 set count in 
Canada; puts the world tv^set count 
at 60,150,000, an astronomical fig¬ 
ure for a young medium. 

Highlights of the USAI expan¬ 
sion story for 1957 include: 

1. Authorization for an all-com¬ 
mercial tv station in West Ger¬ 
many. 

2. Continued impressive growth, 
of the Italian tv network. 

3. Extensive plans for expansion 
in Japan. 

4. Great activity, in the construc¬ 
tion of stations in the Soviet Union; 
relaying Of programs by means of 
aircraft; reductions in the price of 
tv sets. 

5. Construction of a large tv 
center in Peking. 

6. Of the 159 new stations ..built 

in 1957 in: the Free . World, West¬ 
ern Europe had 141, a tremendous I 
increase Of more than 100%. This ? 
was.mainly due to an amazing de- > 
velopment Of the Italian tv net- : 
work from .37 stations to 142 by the, 
end of the year. Nine new stations ‘ 
were added in the Far East, seven; 
in Latin America, and two in the j 
Near East. ! 

In a forward, the USAI stated 
in its report that the accuracy of 
the data is subject to the reliability 
of the. statistics compiled from var¬ 
ious * sources. They are. based on 
official data whenever available; 
otherwise, the concensus Of various! 
sources is used. Television set fig¬ 
ures include estimates of unli¬ 
censed or “black” sets whenever 
available. Communist bloc statistics 
must be regarded with caution. 

. See adjoining column Tor run¬ 
down on country by Country tv sta- . 
tion and set count: 

Adam Young’s Answer 
To CBS Radio’s 0&0 
Believability: “Nuts’ 

Adam young, prexy of the 
Young reppery. blasted out at the 
recent “promotion pieces” done by 
CBS Radio designed to prove that 
the network’s . owned and oper¬ 
ated stations have more believa- 
bility. 

“The dominance of : the modern, 
concept of radio,” says Young, “is 
no longer a trend. It is an accom¬ 
plished fact. That is why in every 
one of the top 25 markets, an in¬ 
dependent station ranks among the 
top three in audience size.” 

The Young, reppery has released 
a study, “The Dynamic Change in 
Radio,” which compares, station 
audience rankings in the top 25 
markets, Nov., 1952, versus Nov., 

1957. The report shows the com¬ 
manding lead indie .. radio has 
taken over .network radio. In 1952 
there were 26 network affiliates 
either in first place or tied for first 
■ place in the top 25 markets. The 
report states that presently 22 net¬ 
work stations have dropped from 
first place and 21 indie stations, 
hold coveted positions. 

Report concludes by saying that 
“the evidence should serve to 
counter some myths about inde¬ 
pendent stations which have arisen 
from recent promotion pieces done 
by the networks. 

Blair's New Sales Plan 

Blair TV has come Out with a 
new sales plan which . according 
to Edward P. Shurick, exec veepee 
of the reppery, would allow an ad¬ 
vertiser a Monday-through-Friday 
(Continued op page. 48) 


53 Hours a Week Sets a Read; 
Cheaper Ulan Buying Telefilms 


Hit Master’* Voice 

: Detroit, Feb. 4. 

George Washington Trendle, 
creator of the “Lone Banger,” 
feels tv gunslingers are too j 
wild and too. uncouth. “You 
don’t need a.lot of bloodshed 
to get fans-^-children or 
adults,” said the 73-year-old 
former owner of radio station 

wxyz: 

, “For years our ratings. (‘Lone 

'Ranger*) indicated that half 
our listeners were adults and 
this was Without the 'blood 
and thunder of the ‘adult 
Western.'. The fight* in today’s 
shows seem more gruesome. 

If your scripts are good you 
can have a hero who doesn’t 
go around spitting tobacco 
juice.. Nowadays they don’t 
glorify the leads—they’re not 
.enough inspiration for chil¬ 
dren.” 

In 1954, Trendle’s company 
sold “The Lone Ranger.” He 
says, “I don't watch it much 
On tv, but I’m sure it’s going 
along fine.”_ ... 

Roberts Converts 
680G MBS Loss 
Int<f24G Profit 

Since the takeover of bfutual by 
the Paul Roberts management 
gi oup, the net has been operating 
iii the'black, With an operational 
profit of $24,000 reported from 
September through the first of the 
year. 

The. Roberts group took over the 
net from RKO Teleaadio Pictures 
last August Losses Tor the first 
seven, months of 1957, prior to the 
. takeover,; was put at $680,000. The 
change in the profit picture is at¬ 
tributable: to paring down ex¬ 
penses, lopping off shows, the con¬ 
centration on spiling five-minute 
news segments and the new affili¬ 
ates contract, featyring the swap 
program arrangements. Also con¬ 
tributing Was the garnering of 
bluechip accounts' to ride the Mu¬ 
tual net and the resurgence of net¬ 
work radio as an ad medium. 

Net also recently signed two 
year-long contracts with Liggett & 
Myers and Bristol-Myers. Tobacco 
firm, in behalf of L&M filtered 
cigarets, is participating in net’s 
mystery-adventure bloc and is 
sponsoring the Thursday and Fri¬ 
day 5:30 p.m. five-minute news¬ 
casts by Westbrook Van Voorhis. 

Bristol-Myers, for its Bufferin 
product has ordered a saturation- 
type weekend campaign of news 
and news adjacencies over the full 
MBS. Young & Rubjcam Is the 
agency for the drug house, while 
Dancer, Fitzgerald, .Sample serv¬ 
ices Liggett & Myers. 

In the sports department, nine 
major league baseball clubs, in¬ 
cluding the' World champion Mil¬ 
waukee Braves, are permitting 
MBS play-by-play broadcasts of 
their hOme games on net’s “Game 
of the Day-” Baseball Show this 
year for the first time will be run 
on a seven-day basis, with no minor 
league ballgames slated. - ' 

Busy Bea 

Kansas City, Feb. 4. 
Intensive speaking schedule 
lined up for Bea Johnson. KMBC 
director of women’s affairs, virtual¬ 
ly has her talking in her - sleep. A 
90-day period includes a docket of 
97 talks: . 

The route takes her over thou¬ 
sands of miles, from. Miami to 
Dallas and other points and back 
to KMBC. All while she doubles j 
as afternoon hostess on a two-hour 
show here, five days per week. 


Four and probably five hew live 
programs will have preemed on 
WABD, the DuMont New York tv 
station, in the four weeks up to- 
Feb, 2fi. Four of the. shows are 
definitely set and the fifth, 
Thursday night half-hour, is ex¬ 
pected to get the go ahea£ in the 
next few days. 

With all of the new program" 
schedulings, , the indie video outlet 
will be running exactly 53 hours 
of iive programming a week by the 
17th. That’s as against 61% hours 
of film. WABD far and away 
ranks as the No. 1 live station 
among Gotham’s four tv indies. 

There is a two-fold reason why 
WABD plans to expand even more 
to live video on a local basis, 
flaunting the fact that two of its 
big nightime live stanzas lost their 
bankrolled after the first 13^week 
| Cycle. Because WABD has a 
| unique problem, the station ex- 
| plains, it is actually cheaper to 
produce live half-hour stanzas 
than to buy fresh telefilm. Sta¬ 
tion, in kind of carryover from its 
days as a network flag (for Du¬ 
Mont), still has three full camera 
crews. The more the station were 
to. go film, the less the crews would 
be utilized. But with seven-and-a- 
half hours a day of pre-dark pro¬ 
gramming hlone, *the station can 
amortize the cost of the crews over 
the long stretch so that it’s often 
possible to bring in half-hours for 
under $2,000 each. 

First-run film runs several hun¬ 
dred dollars higher in New York, 
which leads to the second reason 
why the station is pursuing “more 
live.” WABD planners—boss Dick 
Buckley and his seconds-in-cora- 
maiid, Bennett Korn and Jack 
Grogan—figure that the indie can¬ 
not always compete pricewise with 
the three network o&o’s for new 
telefilm product, which automati¬ 
cally means the station has to xe- 
(Continued on page 48) 

late Show’Takes 
Count Vs. Tonight’ 

“The Late Show," the pioneer 
WCBS-TV, N. Y. feature film show¬ 
case, has begun to take a substan¬ 
tial beating at the hands of NBC- 
TV’s Jack Paar "Tonight” show. 
The December ARB ratings for 
New York gave “Tonight” on 
WRCA-TV an edge over “Late 
Show” for the first time, and this 
margin lias been widened in the 
January ratings out of ARB to 
give “Tonight” a 64% rating ad¬ 
vantage over the features, an un¬ 
precedented situation in the New 
York late-night market, 

. Moreover, the sales picture is 
keeping pace with, the success story 
of “Tonight,” with WRCA-TV now 
at the SRO point in all of its sta¬ 
tion-break adjacencies in the 
11:15 p.m.-l a.m. time period. New 
sponsors, with 10 and 20-second as 
well as one-minute breaks, include 
Ward Baking. Slenderella, Procter 
8c Gamble, Newport cigs, Pepto 
Bismol, Knickerbocker Beer, Coty, 
Colgate, Quaker Oats, Bardahl, 
Dutch Masters Cigars, American 
Tobaceo and Manischewitz Wine. 

The ARB ratings, covering the 
week of Jan. 6-10, give “Tonight” 

| a five-day average of 9.5 and 54.0% 
share vs. 5.3 and 33.0% share for 
“Late Show.” As for “Tonight” on 
a national basis, ARB rates it in 
i 91 markets, and the January results 
gave it a 7.6 average with 2,200,000 
homes, an increase of 23% over 
the previous month alone. The 
December rating came to 6.2, with 
the show reaching 1,741,000 homes. 

WCBS-TV isn’t taking the situa¬ 
tion lying down. It’s scheduled a 
series of blockbusters for the en¬ 
tire month of February (not just 
rating week, as is customary) and 
is heavily promoting the lineup 
under the title of “Fabulous 
February/’ 

















Wednesday, February 5, 1958 



nta’s FAMOUS 


• offering? constant flov 
of 'Hall of Fame’ TV Prograi 


Here’s a radically different concept in TV station programr 
ming,.. that will solve stations’ program needs for years to come! 

It’s the program service plan of NTA’s FAMOUS FILMS, 
offering quality programming on a subscription basis. 

All in all, over 1,000 hours of Hall of Fame Programming, 
produced by such distinguished creators of top-flight- entertainment 
as ... 20th Century-Fox, David 0. Selznick, J. Arthur Rank, Hal 
Roach .. . with Desilu arid other big ones coming up! 

And it’s constantly replenished from NTA’s future program¬ 
ming-library ... giving you a lien on great new programming for 


^ FEATURE FTLJMtE 

| " frommch 

* fitt$t<wding producers asz 

\ 30th Century-Fttt 

| & Arthur Rank 

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> Sir Alexander Kordcr' 


&HEAT HALF 
SEtOWS 

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PQt&Bmn.. ifa&mna - 
Jtotn Bkmdett 2 Wes & Wright _ 
Sort? Katfeff Feat Luk<i& 


•.. and constantly renewed from N 


For the full story, phone, wire or writer 





















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it of almost 1,000 Hours 
tuning • • • by subscription! 

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You can play this ‘Hall of Fame* Programming as often as 
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Quality? Yes! Assured program flow for years tj) come? Yes, 
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42 


TV-FnLMS 


P&KIEtfY 


Wednesday, Febrnary 5, 1958 


-ABB FEATURE FILM CHABT 

Variety's weekly chart, based on ratings furnished by American Research Bu- feature period and share of audience, since these factors reflect the effectiveness 
read's latest reports on-feature films and their competition covers 120 cities, Each of the feature and audience composition, i.e., a late show at 11:15 p,m. would hardly 
week, the 10 top-rated features in a particular city will be rotated. have any children vietaers; but its share of audience may reflect dominance in that 

Factors which would assist distributors, agencies, stations and advertisers in time period. In the cities where stations tell their feature programming on a multi 
determining the effectiveness of a feature show in a specific market hare been stripped basis utilizing the same theatrical throughout the week a total rating for the 
included in this Vamjetz chart. Listed below is such pertinent information regarding total number of showings for the week fa given, the total rating not taking into account 
features as their stars, retease year, original production company- and the-present the duplicated homes factor, Barring unscheduled switches in titles the listed: features 
distributor, included wherever possible along with the title Attention should be paid for the particularly rated theatrical filmed show are as accurate as could be ascer- 
to such factors as the time and day, the high and loir ratings for the measured tained from a multiplicity of station and other'data. 



PHILADELPHIA 


TOP It TITLES AND OTHER DATA 

TME SLOT 

ARB 

bating 

1. KING’S ROW— 

Ronald Reagon, Ann-Sheridan, Robert 
Cummings, Betty Field; 1941; Warner 
Brothers; Associated Artists Productions 

World’s Best Movies 

Fri. Dec. 6 
10:45-12:30 a.m. 

WFIL 

21.7 

%. HEIDI— 

Shirley Temple, Jean Hersholt, 

Arthur Treacher; 1937; 

20th Century Fox; NTA 

Shirley Temple 

Sat. Dec. 7 

3:30-5:00 p.m. 

WCAU 

20.3 

3. TARZAN. THE APE MAN— 

Johnny Weismuller, 

Maureen O’Sullivan,* 

1932; MGM; MGM-TV 

World’s Best Movies 
' Sun. Dec. l s 
1:30-3:30 pan. 

WFIL 

16.0 

4. WATCH ON THE RHINE— 

Bette Davis; Paul Lukas; 1943; 

Warner Brothers; Associated 

Artists Productions 

World's Best Movies 

Sat. Dec. 7 
10:45-12:30 am. — 
WFIL 

15.4 

5. TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT— 
Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall; 

1944; Warner Brothers; 

Associated Artists Productions 

Stage “S” 

Tues. Dec. 3 
10:45.-12:00 a.m. 

WFIL 

14.1 

6. THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO— 
Spencer Tracy; Van Johnson, 

Robert Walker; 1944; 

MGM; MGM-TV 

World’s Best Movies 
Mon. Dec. 2 
10:45-12:30 a.m. 

WFIL 

.13.0 

7. THE ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON 
CRUSOE— 

Dan O’Herlihy, James 

Fernandez; 1953; United 

Artists; United Artists-TV 

Film Festival 

Sun. Dec. 1 
.3:00-5:60 p.m. 

WCAU 

12.3 

9. BEACHHEAD— 

Tony Curtis, Mary Murphy, Frank 
Lovejoy; 1954; United Artists; 

United Artists-TV 

Million Dollar Movi 

Sat. Dec. 7 
11:20-12:45. a.m. 

WCAU 

12.0 

9^ CAIRO— 

Jeanette MacDonald, Robert 

Young, Ethel Waters; 1940; 

MGM; MGM-TV , 

World’s Best Movies 

Fri. Dec. 6 
12:30-2:00 a.m. 

WFIL 

10.1 

19. JESSE JAMES AT BAY— 

Roy Roger?; 1940; Republic; 

MCA-TV 

Roy Rogers Playhouse 
Sun. Dec. 1 
10:30-11:30 a.m. 

WCAU 

9.9 

SEATTLE-TACOMA 


1. THE FARMER’S DAUGHTER— 

Loretta Young, Joseph. 

Cotten; 1947; Selznick 

Studio; NTA 

Armchair Theatre 

Sup. Dec. 1 

2:00-3:00. p.m. 

KING 

17.8 

2. WAR AGAINST MRS. HADLEY— 

Van Johnson, Edward 

Arnold, Spring Byington; 

1942; MGM; MGM-TV 

Command Performance 
Sat. Dec. 7 
10:30-12:15 a.m. 

KING 

155 

3. WATERLOO BRIDGE— 

Vivien Leigh, Robert 

Taylor; 1940; MGM; 

MGM-TV 

Midday Matinee 

Sat, Dec. 7 

3:00-4:45 pjn. 

KING 

13.5 

4. EVERYTHING HAPPENS AT NIGHT— 
Sonja Henle, Ray Milland, Robert 
Cummings; 1940; 20th Century 

Fox; NTA Film Network 

Premiere Performance ’ 
Sat. Dec. 7 
10:30-12:00a.m. 

KTNT 

12.4 

S. MILDRED PIERCE— 

Joan Crawford, Zachary Scott, 

Jack Carson, Ann Blyth; 1945; Warner 
Brothers; Associated Artists Productions 

All Star Movie 

Fri. Dec. 6 
10:35-12:45 a.m. 

KTNT 

12,2 

4. THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT 
BRIGADE— 

Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland; 

1936; Warner Brothers; Associated 

Artists Productions 

Encore Theatre 

Sum Dec. 1 

2:30-4:30 p.m. 

KTNT 

9.2 

7. MOULIN ROUGE— 

Jose Ferrer. Zsa Zsa Gabor; 

1952; United Artists; 

United Artists-TV 

Curtaintime 

Sun. Dec. 1 
10:30-12:45 a.m. 

KOMO 

8.9 

3, MARSHAL OF AMARILLO— 

Allan Lane; 1948; 

Republic; Hollywood 

Television Service 

Bar 5 Theatre 

Sat. Dec. 7 

1:00-2:00 p.m. 

KING 

8:4 

9. GANGS OF SONORA— 

Bob Livingston, Bob Steele; 

1941; Republic; Hollywood 

Television Service 

Bar 5 Theatre 

Sat. Dec. 7 

2:00-3:00 p.m. 

KING 

92 

10. MY DEAR MISS ALDRICH— 

Edna May Oliver, -Maureen 

O’Sullivan, Walter Pidgeon; 

1936; MGM; MGM-TV 

Command Performance 
Mon. Dec. 2 
10:45-12:15 a.m. 

KING 

78 




SHARE OF 

DECEMBER, 1957 


ARE 

HIGH 

LOW 

AUDIENCE 

TOP COMPETING SHOWS 


BATING 

23.8 

16.5 

52.4 

Person to Person 

WCAU . 

. .. . .. .35.3 




News; Weather. 

Sports Final; The Little 

WCAU ... 





Kidnappers, Million Dollar 
Movie .-v _ __ . .., 

.WCAU 

9.3 




Tonight . . . .. 

.WRCV 

6.9 

21.5 

183 

57.2 

NCAA Football..... * .... 

.WRCV . 



17.3 

13:8 

60.2 

The Awful Truth, Command 






Theatre 1.. ....._*. 

..WCAU ... 

,... 5.3 




The Nativity ...--- r. L;.. 

. WCAU 

5.3 




Command Theatre No. 2; 

The Adventures of Robinson 

WCAU 

7,3 




Crusoe, Film Festival_... 

.WCAU. 

....10.5 

16.8 

13.5 

43.5 

San Francisco Beat ... 

. WCAU .... 

_21.5 




News; Sports Corner,,.-.. 
Weather, Beachhead, 

.WCAU .... 

... .16 0 




Million Dollar Movie.. 

..WCAU .... 

...12.0 

15.8 

11.5 

43.3 

Golden Playhouse 

WCAU .... 

...15.8 




News; Weather _.... 

Sports Final; Frankenstein 

. WCAU .... 

....16.3 




Meets the Wolf Man, 

Shock Theatre. 

..WCAU 

9.3 




Tonight 

WRCV 

6.9 

14.8 

11.3 

46.8 

Suspicion 

Vrcv .... 

... .18.5 




News; Weather . 

Sports Final; The .Invisible 

. WCAU .... 

. .13.0 




Man Returns, Shock 
Theatre 

. .WCAU 

5.7 

14.3 

10,5 

38.2 

Tarzan, The Ape Man, 






World’s Best Movies 

. WFIL 

..17.2 




Sunday Afternoon Festival.... 

. WFIL ..... 

. . . i6:o 




Paul Winchell ......... 

. WFIL 

11.2 

14.0 


38.0 

Watch on the Rhine, 






World’s Best Movies. 

WFIL ..... 

...15.4 

20.5 

1.3 

71.1 

Tonight 

WRCV 

5:8 


10.8 

93 

66.4 

See the World....... 

........ WRCV 

2.0 




Gene Autry...... 


5:2 


18.4 

17.4 

571 

Wild Bill Hickok ... 

KTNT 

r 105 




The Charge of the Light 
Brigade, Encore Theatre..... 

KTNT 

8 9 

17;4 

13.1 

.44.7 

Everything Happens at Night, 
Premiere Performance.. ; . *. 
Major Studio Preview... 

KTNT .... 
KOMO 

.....12.4 

7.2 

14.4 

125 

64.3 

NCAA Football ............. 

Football Scoreboard ........ 

Lone Ranger... 

KOMO 

KOMO 

KTNT 

7,3 

3:9 

6.9 

14.1 

11.1 

33.6 

War Against Mrs, Hadley; 
Command Performance.. 

KING. 

,....155 

13.4 

8.2 

52,4 

World Today... 

Boots £nd Saddles,___ 

Whistling in Brooklyn, 
Command Performance.. 

KING 
KOMO .... 

-RING 

.13.1 
.....10 2 

4.4 

10.8 

7,9 

31.1 

The Farmer’s Daughter, 
Armchair Theatre 

File 7....... . 

This Is the Life. 

KING ;... 
.KING .... 
KING .... 

...18.1 
... ,14.9 
.,. ■; 10.5 




Omnibus.. 

KOMO ... 


11.5 

49 

41.8 

What’s My. Line... 

Each Dawn ; I Die, Late Show . 

KTNT ... 
KTNT 

... -235 
6.2 

8.5 

8.2 

41.6 

NCAA Football ..... 

ROMO 

7.7. 

8.5 

7.9 

39.8 

NCAA Football.............. 

KOMO 

8.6 

8,5 

5:9 

44.3 

Suspicion .., 

Adventures of Robin Hood, 

All Star Movie....---- 

KOMO ... 

KTNT 

-.14.8 

45 




























































PANORAMA POTOMAC One of a series of impressions of Washington by T. Miyashita. Commis¬ 
sioned by WTOP TELEVISION at Broadcast House, Washington > D.C. Operated^ by The Washington 
Post Broadcast DivisionRepresented by CBS television Spot Sales* (Reprints available on request.) 














44 


raoto-teije vision 


PSsSlETTi 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


Y & R s Bob Mountain Sees 
Increasing Return to Live TV; 
-On Other Ad Agency Fronts 


By JACK BERNSTEIN 

Robert Mountain, Young- & 
Rubicam’s veepee in charge of 
radio^tv. predicts there will be an 
increasing return to live television 
by the tv industry and bases his 
opinion oh the present high cost 
of production. He believes tape 
"will partially answer the cost prob¬ 
lem because of its residual bene¬ 
fits. 

He said “as long as the cost fac¬ 
tor in television is paramount, and 
in the interests arid desires of ad¬ 
vertisers to bring good entertain¬ 
ment to the public, the return of 
live television is logical.’' Mountain 
feels live tv offers more to the 
public, artistically arid.is easier on 
the sponsor’s > purse strings. While 
he said he would still back a good 
film show (the fact that a show is 
live doesn't override all consider¬ 
ations) “economically speaking,, in 
.live tv the costs of the programs 
are reduced approximately one- 
third compared to film shows.” 

‘ At the present time live tele¬ 
vision is unattractive to name per¬ 
formers because they get nothing 
beyond, the original performance. 
Taped shows, will provide the stars 
■ith residual benefits and the ad¬ 
vertiser and the public alike will 
be benefited by artists giving live- 
simulated performances.” 

George Haight, veepee in charge 
of radio and tv at McCann-Erick- j 
son, feels that taped shows are j 
Some two years off and that many J 
mechanical difficulties have to be j 
ironed out. He said at the pres- j 
ent time there is no method, to j 
edit or cut tape and that Ampex j 
has to lick other technical prob-i 
lems before the System will be j 
adopted by the tv industry. 

Agency Exploitation Role 

The agency . role in exploiting 
clients’ tv shows increases by the 
year and it's now one of the as¬ 
signed tasks of the agency. James 
McCaffrey, veepee in charge of . 
radio-tv at Ogilivy, Benson &' 
Mather, likened exploitation to 
buying an insurance policy for a 
client “It's a matter of protecting 
your dollar investment. When you 
lay Out $3,000,000! or so for the 
sponsor to bring his story to the 
public it pays you |o-spend a small 
proportion • of thi$ money to be 
sure you’re drawipg the interest 
of the public.” The agency recently 
hired a public relations firm to 
plug the “Sid Ceasar Show” which 
returned to the airwaves.. 

Exploitation by the agencies 
still runs quite a bit less than the 
publicity costs spent by the film 
industry and. by the legitimate the¬ 
atre, which shell out approximate¬ 
ly 10 to 15% of their total pro¬ 
duction costs. Bests estimates say 
the agencies spend in the neigh¬ 
borhood of 2% of the client money 
in plugging the tv wares. 

Prior to the time that a tv show 
is initially ethered, the agency 
toppers meet with the networks to 
determine the amount of selling a 
show is going to need. The webs 
in most instances give the agencies 
a number of gratis ads to plug 
shows and later on give special at¬ 
tention to shows, whith-baye not 
gotten off the ground or have 
sagged. 

Television shows are. pitched^ via 
print media, tune-in ads, and by 
special promotions such as the 
most recent gimmick employed by 
Young & Rubicam to promote 
“Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” The 
agency ran an ad. in one of the 
leading New York papers request¬ 
ing a grave digger. The ad 
swamped the agency’s office with 
potential grave diggers who were 
anxious to bury a replica of Alfred j 
Hitchcock in the sands of Florida j 
in a “you find it and win a. prize ! 
contest.” ; 

Campaigns such as those are - 
being dreamed up by nearly all the : 
major agencies which have taken | 
on publicity staffs with the sole , 
purpose of making the trade press i 
and the public aware of the fact I 
that a particular program should ; 
be and can be seen at a certai ' 
hour. 

Frey R port 

The recommendations of the 
Frey report which was underwrite 
ten b\ members of the Assn, of i 
Nation •’I Advertisers at a cost of i 


approximately $50,000 will not be 
adopted by the agencies, say the 
ad men. Most of the agency top¬ 
pers admit that the report served 
to awaken the industry but readiily 
poipt out that Madison Ave .. is : a 
street of tradition and will con¬ 
tinue to use the" commission sys¬ 
tem, The general feeling is if any 
change is to come about, it will be 
in the Way the media system bills. 

Shorts: NBC said to be feeling 
out sorrie ad agencies oh possible 
hike of time rates to riational ad¬ 
vertisers. . 

BBDO reported to have laid off 
over 1Q0 people on the Revlon ac¬ 
count formerly handled by the 
agency. Agency toppers say faint 
so. 

Charles Boland, veep iii. charge 
of radio-tv at Parkson. has penned 
“Iceland & Greenland.” Book to 
be published by Doubleday and: 
will sell for $1.50. 

Two annual scholarships of $200 
each for Univ, Qf Washington ad¬ 
vertising students are being award¬ 
ed by Pudget Sound. Council; 
American Assn, of Advertising 
Agencies. It’s first such scholar¬ 
ship program to be undertaken by 
any council of the national trade 
association of advertising agencies 
according to Donald Kraft, chair¬ 
man of the Pudget Sound Coun¬ 
cil. 

“Freedom Is Not Free” is theme 
of. Advertising Council’s eight an¬ 
nual public service campaign , pn 
behalf of Crusade for Freedom. 
Advertising material prepared 
gratis by Ted Bates, 

Richard Lockman has been 
named general manager of Eniil 
Mogul. 


Chi Agencies 

By LES BROWN 

s; W. O. Yocum and Merritt R. C. 
Schoenfeld joined H: W.. Kastor & 
Sons agency last week as vfce: 
presidents. Yokufn had previously 
been account exec with .McCann- 
Erickson, and Schoenfeld was fdc=_ 
merly a.e. with C. L- Miller Co. 

Compton Advertising, for Heile- 
man Old Style beer, is; merchan¬ 
dising “Sea Hunt” in its nine mid-, 
west: markets with skin diving ex¬ 
hibitions and displays in sporting 
goods stores^ Compton is mapping 
a big. summer promotion forsuds- 
ery and the telefilm series. 

For the Edsel account, Foote, 
Cone & Beldirig publicist A1 Weis-; 
man took Bob Horton of “Wagon 
Train” to Detroit,. Pittsburgh; New 
York, New Orleans, arid Lake 
Charles, La., forJEdsel promo and 
“March of Dimes” telethon ap¬ 
pearances. 

, Mohr & Eicoff Inc. (formerly 
Mohr Associates) has opened Chi 
offices with Alvin Eicoff, chairman 
of the board, as exec veep in. 
charge Of the Windy City office,; 

B. Richard Elam Jr., ek-Fultori 
Morrissey, named merchandising 
manager for Buchen Co. 

Herbert Baker Advertising 
plucked Electro-Voice hi fidelity 
products account. 

Advertising Coimcil set to launch 
eighth annual public service cam¬ 
paign next month' in .behalf of Cru¬ 
sade for Freedom Inc. with a prp- 
grara^to promote contributions to 
Radio Free Europe. 


NBC’s Thra-Tbe-Niglit 
Alert With Footage On 
U. S. Satellite Launching 

Launching of the first American 
satellite, at Cape Canaveral last Fri¬ 
day (31) also catapulted NBC ifito 
out-sputniking the Other networks 
with spot news and subsequent fol¬ 
lowups via its radio-tv facilities. 

: NBC-TV flashed the news of the 
rocket at 10:51:30 p: m., seven min¬ 
utes ahead of ABC-TV. CBS-TV 
. didn’t carry the satellite launching 
story over the network until the 
next morning: For some reason, 
it didn’t break into Edward T. Mur- 
row’s “Person to Person” on Friday 
(10:30-11 p. m.). WCBS-TV, lo¬ 
cally, aire'd a bulletin of the lunch¬ 
ing at II p. m. 

Another “first” was Chalked, up 
by NBC-TV when its films of the 
launching were seen at 2:06 a. m: 
Saturday from WFGA-TV, Jackson¬ 
ville, after a harum-scarum air¬ 
plane and car dash to the studio 
with the unprocessed footage, 

NBC kept the network open be¬ 
yond its regular signoff so that 
viewers could see the pictures of 
.the major news event. First sound 
of the satellite signal also was aired 
over NBC Radio at 11:45 p. m. with 
an assist from RCA Communica¬ 
tions at Riverhead, L, I:. NBC 
News also broke into its “Tonight” 
show at 12:20 a. m. to present the 
signal on tv. 

Weekend coverage of the historic 
event was extensive bri all rietworks 
with commentators and newscasters 
.offering interviews^ panel discus¬ 
sions, etc., with key figures in the 
massive undertaking. Locally, 
WMCA monitored Radio Moscow 
and thus kept its listeners in¬ 
formed on Soviet Russia’s scant 
coverage of the Jupiter-C launch¬ 
ing- 

Involved in.the wild journey to 
deliver the NBC films were corre¬ 
spondent Roy Neal and the two 
Cameraman, Toin Priestly and Jes¬ 
se Sabin, who shot the tual 
launching. 


P&G WINDFALL FOR 
LANCASTER UHFER 

. Procter, & Gamble has shifted its 
daytime CBS-TV program business 
off WGAL-TV, Lancaster, Pa., “V” 
outlet, and switched to “U” station 
WHP-TV, Harrisburg. Soap outfit 
has substituted most of the NBC- 
TV daytiirie lineUp on WGAL. 

WHP-TV has picked up daytime 
soaps which include “Search For 
Tomorrow^” “Guiding- Light,” “As 
The World Turns,” “Brighter Day,” 
and "Edge of Night.” Switchover 
is scheduled for Feb. 17. 


H’wood Agencies 

Hollywood, Feb. 4. 

A1 Kabaker, head of Compton’s 
Hollywood operation, dispatched 
Joe Agnello to Phoenix to produce 
the open golf tournament spon¬ 
sored by Wright (air coolers). 

Chet Glassley, formerly with 
Four Star Films, joined Leo Bar¬ 
nett as producer of film commer¬ 
cials. 

Chet Brouwer,- onetime with 
N. W. Ayer in Hollywood, will be 
sure of his eats. He bought into 
a cafe in La Jolla, Cal. 


Pittsburgh—John Hierlihy, an 
NBC trainee in New York for sev¬ 
eral years, has been sent here to 
become program supervisor': for 
WA.MP, forrner WJAS which net¬ 
work recently bought, Hierlihy re¬ 
places Bill Babcock, who held down 
that post under previous manage¬ 
ment for more than a decade. 


Rodman Exits Chi For 
KGO-TV Slot in Frisco 

Chicago, Feb. 4:. 

George T. Rodman leaves the 
ABC - shop yin Chi on Feb. 14 
to become director of advertising, 
promotion and press information at 
KGO-TV, San Francisco, station 
over which John H. Mitchell fs the 
ABC veep in. charge. In Chicago, 
Rodman had been assistant to Ell 
Heniy, director of ad-promo-press 
activities, for the central division 
and station WBKB. Mitchell him¬ 
self came to Frisco from the Chi 
plant,-where, several years ago, he 
had' been v:p. and general manager. 

Rodman joined. ABC in 1953 as a 
publicity writer. Jim Ascher is 
being moved up in the Chi opera¬ 
tion to plug the vacancy. 


KIRO-TV Set to Bow 

Seattle,. Feb. 4. 

If all goes well, weatherwiseV 
Seattle’s new tv station, KIRO-TV; 
Channel 7, will be on the air by 
Sat. (8). If weather doesn’t coop¬ 
erate, (so antenna can be hoisted 
to top of transmitting tower; start 
may be delayed about A week, sta¬ 
tion .riiahager Miller Robertson 
said. KIRO will be CBS-TV outlet 
here. 

. Robertson, formerly with WTCN- 
TV, Minneapolis,, said staff, was 
virtually complete, with promotiori 
manager only post in top echelon 
not filled. From WTCN are pro¬ 
gram manager Fred H, Kaufman, 
Chris Wedes, program assistant 
and children's shows, and Eugene 
Wecker, in charge of filiris. 

Recruits from local 'stations in¬ 
clude Bob Gordon, formerly 
KQMO-TV production . manager, 
Toni Towey, formerly program di¬ 
rector,KTVW as a producer, James 
Morris, also KTVW, as chief en¬ 
gineer. 


inside Stuff—Radio-TV 

Controversial book title, “Love Is a Four Letter Word,” is causing 
radio, tv and syndicate interviewers to turn down attractive socialite 
author Anita Rowe Block even though conservative Doubleday, her 
publisher, suggested using the eyebrow-raising title of one of the 
stories as the book title. = 

Tex arid Jinx’s videoshow tackled “Love” with Mary Margaret 
McBride turning in an interview with Mrs. Block. While one WNYC 
show rejected an interview on .title basis, another—this a literary type 
program and independently run—taped an interview with the author, 
without mention of double-entendre. Publishers think it’s the first 
time, a book title, rather than its contents, stirred up so much fuss. 

Payoff is author’s explanation of title: What Is love? It is many 
different things to many different people—orily thing constant about It 
is it’s a four-letter word. 


“Quill and the Gun,” new western which Old Gold and Chemstrand 
will sponsor on Friday nights on NBC-TV (it’s the "Court of Last Re¬ 
sort” replacement), was sold on the basis of a reedited pilot film,- ac¬ 
cording to packagers Goodson-Todman. Reference in last week’s 
Variety made the point that the pilot had been peddled last spring 
and shown on “The Web” summer replacement show. But Goodson- 
Todman point out that the pilot,sold to OG iand Chemstrand was a re* 
vision of the original in which a hew opening and closing scene, as 
well as two other scenes in the film, were filrried during the fall and 
edited into the pilot in Deceipber, with the Original, scenes involved 
eliminated. 


The Monday through Friday stripped “The Living Blackboard,” pre¬ 
sented by the Metropolitan Educational Television Assn, in coopera¬ 
tion with the Board of Education, on WPIX, N.Y., in the morning, has 
been revamped. “The Science Club” takes over on Mondays, a show 
aimed to iriiplement the fifth and sixth grade science curriculum; 
“Something to Do” on Tuesdays, geared to suggest worthwhile activi¬ 
ties for youngsters; “Books and Busy Hands,” Wednesdays, on arts arid 
crafts; “Let’s Dance,” Thursdays, featuring dances throughout the 
world; “Dollars and Sense,” Fridays, on the economy of the country 
intended for high school students. 


Completing its first month of “live” programihing in . honor of its 
10th anniversary, WEWS, Cleveland, featured personal appearances 
by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen and James C. Petrillo, head of the musicians 
union. 

The Bishop’s appearance concluded an hour-long studio presenta- 
i tion and it wound up with the Bishop asking for donations “of tens” 
to mark the anniversary—“10 pennies, $10, etc.” WEWS’ General 
Manager James Hanrahan kicked off the pledges with $1,000 in pennies 
and total contributions are expected to be over $15,000 to be given to 
the. Society for the Propagation of the Faith. 

Petrillo’s appearance honored the station’s showing of the. Cleve¬ 
land Symphony. Orchestra. It was announced that Director George 
Szell had turned his fee be donated to the Musical Arts Association 
for the orchestra’s pension fund. His fee, $1,500 was matched by 
Hanrahan. 


Only performer who ever did an imitation of an egg frying at a. 
command performance for British royalty (King George VI, who loved 
it) now lives in Toronto and works in tv. He’s Erie Christmas, cur¬ 
rently in the Toronto-filmed series “Tugboat Annie.” Christmas Is 
his real name, arid he’s capitalized on it by directing and acting in a 
Xmas panto “Mother Goose,” which played Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, 
London, Ont., and Winnipeg a few years ago. 


WBKB, the ABC-TV O&o in Chicago, gave the Chicago Sun-Times a 
gratis 21-spot salute last Friday (30) with congratulatory announce¬ 
ments all day anent the gazette’s new off-Michigan Ave. plant. Spots 
read, “Today WBKB salutes, the Chicago. Sun-Times on the occasion 
of the dedication of its new building, one of the most modern In the 
country' Hats off to the Sun-Times, a great paper in a great city!” 

Sun-Times and WBKB have a time-for-space reciprocal trade pact. 

Writers Guild of America, on a grant from the Johan J. Smit Foun¬ 
dation, is offering two prizes of $2,500 each for video scripts froiri 1957 
and 1958 which “make the most valuable contribution to huriian 
understanding and peace.” The 1957 entry deadline will be Feb. 15. 

Smit is a Dutch diamond dealer who came to the U.S. after World. 
War II. Erik Barnouw, WGA national chairman, also, of Dutch lineage, 
arranged for the award. 


The new television rating service announced last week, by M. A. 
Wallach Research, lias been named TPI Ratings, Miles Waliach, prexjr 
of the research firm, stated the initials TPI were intended to describe 
the telephone-personal interview feature of the new service* 

TPI was created by'Wallach in collaboration with George J. Abrams,' 
veepee of Revlon and chairman of the radio-tv committee of the 
Assn, of National Advertisers. It is designed according to, Wallach 
.to determine the size and composition of audiences,, commercial remem¬ 
brance and channel-to-channel movements. 


What may be the first course devoted to international television pro- 
grariiming will be given at Columbia U. by Bill Berns starting Feb. 6. 
Berns, currently on leave from' NBC and managing the Jones Beach 
Amphitheatre on Long Island, teaches a regular tv programming course 
but has decided, in light of .the composition of his classes and his 
familiarity with overseas video, to devote the. semester torthe inter¬ 
national aspect of programming. He’ll work with the -united-.Na¬ 
tions and the Overseas Press Club in some of the lecture arrange¬ 
ments. 


f New tack in radio audience promotion finds WCBS, the CBS Radio 
flagship in New York, going whole-hog for television even to the first- 
time use of animated coinmercials to plug AM, Station has Ordered 
three eight-second animated spots from the Terrytoons Division of. 
; CBS Television Film Sales which will plug the station’s “Jack Sterling 
Show,” “Lanny Ross Show” and “Jim Lowe’s Hideaway.” 

The three spots are scheduled for a saturation campaign of 25 ex¬ 
posures per week on sister station WCBS-TV. There’s no expenditure 
for time, involved, since the Stations have worked out a free cross¬ 
plug arrangement. WCBS plans eventually to foot the bill for ani¬ 
mated blurbs covering .all its local shows. 


Keystone Broadcasting System is celebrating its 18th aririi this week 
as a network of 1,027 affiliated stations in the grassroots areas, KBS 
today has 48 sponsors representing 100 products. Edwin R. Peterson, 
senior v, P : of Keystone, anticipates the signing of the 1,100 .affil by the 

end «f the year. 


Westinghouse Broadcasting President Donald McGarinon will be fea¬ 
tured speaker at Feb. 13-14-15 meeting pf 11th annual Western Radio 
arid TV Conference in Frisco. NBC producer Brice Howard will also 
address meeting of radio-tv execs and educators from seven Western 
states. • 

Program: cochairmen are Pede Worth, KCBS program director, and 
George A. Willey, of Stanford U.’s radio-tv department. 



Wednesday, February 5, 1958 




KPiX fetched offjts 

m champagne package with 

'High. Noon, Sunday, January 12, 

5,30 to 7-00 PM. ; 

It faded up a 32,3 average* ( \ ' . ' 

, an all-time hsgti jor 

flits Sunday , afternoon time period m . ' 
San Francisco and rated 12&* greater than 
station "B's” John Wayne top-grpssing 
Western, "Red River '- ■ 

For the Bay area's favorite feature fifths, 
look to KPfX and NTA's Champagne 


ARB, JANUARY 1958 


FABULOUS FEATtoES— m, smm 
$8'^KPVlE—m m 


mmt 




819 'UME PM/MDfim 


mm 


~im m mm 


KPIX® 


: 4B00 w^mrmauaosM broadcasting eo.. me. 

' . 0 \.X '' ^U3^.TQN #W<Av£t£VfctAKtf KYWf 

.. , ,/<MtTW*«nr^W«WQ iVUrV, VfiHfh ««■*,. 

< •■ \ ' 0 i»>sHW WZ' *0HfWrCUSVCUOtG, «VyBt'*st> ' 

\*e', - -- wtwour . - ' ' 


A STANLEY KRAMER Product! 
with CARY COOPER and 
LLOYD BRIDGES* GRACE KELLY, 
THOMAS MITCHELL, KATY JURADO 
FRED ZINNEMANN—Director 
CARL FOREMAN-Wrltor 
DIMITRI TIOMKIN—Musical Dirtctor 







46 


RADIO-TELEVISION 


From the Production Centres 

Continued from page 32 

Educational Broadcasters . . . “March of Dimes’" telethon on WISN-TV, 
Milwaukee, tapped $77,000 in pledges. Among the emcees were ABN’s 
Herb Oscar Anderson and KMGM-TV’s Fred Vant Hull. 

IN WASHINGTON 

State _,and territorial winners of Voice of Democracy scriptwriting 
contest will make the rounds of local and network shows, during a four- 
day capital tour beginning Feb. 8 .. . John Daly emceed National Press 
Club inaugural ceremonies, introducing such guests as Vice President 
Nixon, film star Gina Lqllobrigida, and Chief Justice Earl Warren . . . ' 
WTOP adds 337 Warner cartoons, largest cartoon library available 
from any major Hollywood studio, to its extensive film stockpile . . . 
Billy Johnson, WTTG-DuMont personality, received special commenda¬ 
tion from Marine Corps for his sock returns in Christmas toy drive 
, .. Local chapter of American Women in Radio and Television Invited 
to special screening of “Bridge on River Kwai,” plus “Kill the Ivy,” 
documentary on government’s security program, {it Motion Picture As¬ 
sociation of America h.q. . . . Curtis Prior upped fro m me rchandise 
manager to account exec for WRC ... Radio statiod WWDC will air 
12 pre-season exhibition baseball games of Washington Senators begin¬ 
ning March 8 . . . Joe McCaffrey, ABC newscaster, missed hi& first’ 
“Celebrity Parade” (WMAL-TV) show in 178 weeks because of illness 
• Milt Grant, WTTG d. j., forming his own record company td mark¬ 
et his new song, among others. 

IN LONDON . 

First act of “A Touch, of the Sun,” starring Michael Redgrave , and 
Diana Wynyard, which opened at th€ Saville Theatre, London, last 
Friday. (31), to be televised over the state Web from the theatre hext 
Tues. (11) . . . Associated Television’s twice weekly serial about hos¬ 
pital life, “Emergency —War d 10,” notched /a century with last Fri¬ 
day’s (31) episode ... TWW, the new commercial tv outlet serving 
South Wales and the West of England, hopes to be airing full length 
plays from its own studios for the commercial grid by file summer... . 
The Don Cossack Chorus and Dancers topped the bill of Associated 
Television’s “Sunday Night At The Palladium,” (2) . . . Athene Seyler 
made her commercial tv bow in an ABC-TV production of ai new com¬ 
edy, “Night of the Ding Dong,” by Ralph W. Peterson, last Sun. (2). 

IN SAN FRANCISCO 

Biggest topic of gab around Frisco radio stations all week was 50,- 
000-watt KCBS’s axing of Bill Weaver, oldest freelance talent (eight 
and a half years) at the CBS cnand-o flagship: Weaver, departs Feb. 
24, and his 6-6:55 a.m., 12:15-12:30 p.m. and 2:30-3:30 p.m! daily slots 
will all be filled by Dave McElhatton, shifted over from the . American 
Airlines’ “Music Till Dawn” ightbeat Weaver says, he doesn’t know 
what hit him, that station management told him it was a little bit of 
an economy move, a little bit of rating trouble, says he has nothing 
lined up either with another CBS outlet or the network and is really 
unhappy about one aspect—the name. Bill Weaver, belongs to KCBS in 
the Frisco area for the next four years, which means he’U have to go 
back to using his real moniker. Bill Ward. Axing, however, indicates 
KCBS is taking hard look at its programming, may go in for less gab 
and soft-sell shows (a la Godfrey), more- deejay-cum-records style with 
pitch toward younger, audience . . . KRON took delivery on $90j000 
worth of Ampex videotape recorders ... ABC’s Edward P. Morgan ad¬ 
dress Frisco Council for Civic Unity on civil rights . .. . New salesman 
for Oakland's KTVU (Channel 2) is Glenn W. Maehl, ex-KFRC, Frisco 
. . . KNBC news editor Ed Amow had a close Call on a runaway cable- 
car . . . Rusty Draper will replace vacationing Don Sherwood on KGO- 
TV, starting Feb: 12. 

IN OMAHA . ‘ 

KETV appointed Pleskach & Smith agency to handle its trade and 
consumers promotion advertising . . . Arch Andrews, former WOW 
<L j. t shifted to KOWH . .. Lois Kakle handling kitchen show duties for 
KHOL-TV at Holdrege, Neb— . Jack Saffdler, former KOWH announc¬ 
er here now managing WQAM in Miami, renewed his membership in 
Ak-Saf-Ben, local civic org, and Omaha Legion Post No; 1 . . . Sandy 
Jackson, d. j. for KOWH the past eight years, upped to station’s pro-, 
gram director. He’ll continue his spinning chores , , . Bob Wilson hand-, 
ling mike duties for KETV’s Sunday bowling shows in addition to his: 
Sports Final production nightly . . . KMTV added a new sports show, 
“Time Out,” featuring Cal Kirshen. Program is sandwiched in between 
pro and Big 10 basketball games on Saturday afternoons and gives 
scores of games in progress around nation . . . KELO-TV, Sioux Falls/ 
night news personnel includes Bert Coons, Weather; Jim Burt, sports; 
and Paul Beckstrand and Will Carlson, announcers . . 7"Jerry Granger 
is spprtscasting for KHO^TV, Holdrege, Neb. 

IN PHILADELPHIA . 

Phil Sheridan, WFIL’s “Mr. Rise ’N Shine” celebrates fifth anni (6) 
With a 6-9 a.m. party in the grand ballroom of the Bellevue-Stratford 
Hotel, benefit of the Heart Fund. Jim Backus guests . . . John Franklin 
has new morning weather show in one of the five-minute breaks of 
NBC’s “Today.” Franklin has been in local radio for 21 years, the past 
10 as a WRCV newsman ... Chet Huntley, NBC newscaster, winner 
of the La Salle College 10th annual award for “outstanding Work in 
the field of journalism” (3) .. , WIP’s new 5,000 wait transmitter sked- 
ded for operation this fall. . . Former local radio actor Marty Brendan 
now doing a. “Mr. and Mrs.” show with wife Kathy,* on WRHM, Holly¬ 
wood . . WPEN disk jockey Bud Brees has organized Rebb Music Pub¬ 
lishing Co. .... . Gunnar Back, news director at WFIL-TV for two years, 
has had his contract renewed. 

IN PITTSBURGH . 

Portia. Nelson, starring at Gold Key Room, cut a number of comedy 
sketches with Rege Cordic & Co. for their early morning show on 
KDKA . . , Lois Hale Kaplan added to Feldman-Kahn agency staff. Her 
husband. Dr. Abraham Kaplan, of Buenos Aires, is studying cardio 
vascular surgery research at U. of Pittsburgh .. .Boh Harris, from Erie, 
new publicity director for Ch. 9 in Steubenville, O., replacing Bill Mc- 
Clinton, who has come on to WIIC here in a similar capacity . . . Carl 
Y. Coriall, formerly of WMCK in McKeesport, has been appointed, com¬ 
mercial manager of WRTA in Altoona . . . Jay Michael, WCAE deejay,. 
back on the job again after undergoing major surgery on his foot . . . 
KgKA announcer Jim Williams and his wife have dated the stork again 
. .. : Jon Arthur, Ch. 2’s am. strip man, has moved the family here from. 
Connecticut , . . Local girl Shirley Jones set for guestint on Frank Sin¬ 
atra show Feb. 14 ... ■. Edith Hingley celebrated 28th anni at KDKA;and 
John Scigliano his 23rd ; . Charles S. Brown added to WCAE sales 
staff. 

IN CLEVELAND 

NABET and Westinghouse Broadcasting continue to negotiate over 
a new contract replacing the two-year agreement that expired Jan. 31. 
Although strike threats were voiced by NABET negotiations are Con¬ 
tinuing, with wage Clauses the key to a new settlement;. . . Cleveland 
Indians announced this year’s telecasting schedule will Include 54 tilts; 


"P%iSEff 


Wednesday, February 5, 195$ 


48 Saturday and Sunday games, both away and at home, plus the tele¬ 
casting of six night games out-of-town. In case of double headers, pnly 
the first 1 , game will be aired. Still to. be decided by the Indians the 
sponsors, Sohio and Carlings Beer, are the station and the chief an¬ 
nouncer. Jim Britt who did the games last year on WEWS has stepped 
out', . . Tom O’Connell, Plain Dealer t v-rad io columnist, joins WEWS 
sales . ; . Richard McKinney, formerly WTVN film director, signed to 
similar post by KYW . . . Terry . Considine added to WERE publicity 
staff ... Linn Sheldon doing half-hour of fun and. frolic on‘KYW-TV 
Saturday 4 p.m. . . . Ed Fisher, ex-WHIZ, added to WJW-TV announc¬ 
ing staff ... Dpug Adair does news and John Fitzgerald sports on cross- 
the-board WJW-TV 6:30 p.m. news stint. 

IN DETROIT . 

" Donald J. Kramer, formerly in the news department of WJIM, Lans¬ 
ing, and on the staff of WKAR-TV, East Lansing, now is the new assist¬ 
ant program aqd production manager of tv. for WWJ ,.. “Detroit Band¬ 
stand,” is a new WJBK-TV entry. in the 5 p.m. cross-the-board slot 
Half-hour show will feature 50 teenage couples who will dance and 
talk to guest celebs. Dale Young* WJBKvTV staff announcer, will be 
host ..... . John Lee, WXYZ-TV program director, is vacationing in Eu¬ 
rope . .... Sportscaster. Don Wattrick has sold his. interest in WHRV in 
Ann Arbor ... ; Huge cake sent to WXYZ disk jockey Fred Wolfe- at 
opening of supermarket where station’s broadcasting studios used to 
be was toted to the kids at Children’s Hospital by Ed McKenzie, anoth¬ 
er WXYZ disk jockey. 

IN MINNEAPOLIS 

Confident that the ABC’s new season lineup bf network shows puts 
it. in an advantageous position, WTCN-TV, its local affiliate, is wag¬ 
ing a big advertising campaign via billboards, newspapers and window 
cards with the- “Break the TV Channel Habit” watchword, the avowed 
purpose being to wean dialers away from its four competing stations 
here, including the NBC and CBS; affiliates. Ratings gains already have 
been scored . Addressing the Minneapolis Traffic Club, Dr. J. €. 
Schwarcalder, hew Twin Cities’ educational station KTCA-TV general 
manager, painting a glowing picture of educational tv’s futyre, pre¬ 
dicted that during next 10 years, with school population probably 
doubling and an inability to build enough schools to handle the situa¬ 
tion adequately, there’il be Increasing dependence on educational tv 
to supply the deficiency. In this connection, he pointed out that re¬ 
search Shows people often learn faster via video, and always as fast, 
as they do by standard teaching methods ... . Through WTCN-TV ef¬ 
forts ABC network had two of its shows’ stars, Jim Backus and Michael 
Ansara (the Cochise of “Broken Arrow”) playing prominent roles in 
the St. Paul Winter Carnival celebration . . . KMGM-TV and WTCN- 
TV starting last-hour horror movie sprees. Former just has bought 26 
of the, shockers for Friday 11 p.m. “Shockoramas” and WTCN-TV 52 
“Shock Theatre” features* including “Frankenstein” and “Dracula.” 


-:-—-— 

Radio Review 


VOICE IN THE NIGHT 
(Shrinking Skull) 

With Sydney Gross 
Producer-Director: Mel Leeds 
30 Mins.; Fri., Sat., Son., Midnight 
WINS, New York 

“Voice in the Night” is a dilly of 
a weekend radio show, a surefire 
means of enticing suspense fans 
and scaring the pants off the rest 
of the listenership. On future 
nights, the program will normally 
run a half-hour past midnight, but 
the opener, on Saturday (1) morn¬ 
ing, ran 55 minutes, in order to 
give Sydney Gross a chance to run 
all the way through F. Marion 
Crawford’s terrif first-person short 
story, “The Shrinking Skull.” 

Gross, whose faint cockney Ac¬ 
cents are normally applied to jazz 
programs, acted as the reader, and 
he did this type of scare content 
extremely well. Format of the 
show, devised by Mel Leeds, WINS 
program chief, is very simple: just 
the reading of famous mystery 
short stories,, backed by occasional 
somid effects and an organ accom¬ 
paniment. 

“Skull” began as a complicated, 
low key work that rather confused 
the casual listener, but after the 
morbid mood was established; the 
narrative improved in pace and 
thrills, and flashed through a se¬ 
ries of climaxes that made listnenr 
sit up and take notice. Only major 
block to a near-perfect latenlght 
radio show on the premiere was 
the injudicious use of the organ 
(probably on tape). Which was al¬ 
ways there hut hardly a help in 
accenting the menacing nuances 
of the story. Art. 


Radio Followup 


TV Technicians Avert Strike 


Continued from pane 28 ; 


but thereafter, neither, pressed it 
to the point, of walkout. The four- 
day week, according to the unions, 
was vital in counterbalancing the 
effective of automation. Labor 
feared that automation would cause 1 
heavy layoffs in the near future, 
and employee groups wanted to in¬ 
sure additional employment via a 
four-day (27Vfc to 32-h'our) work 
week. Rank-and-file could still 
make, this an issue before ratifying 
present agreements. 

Old contracts for both unions 
terminated at midnight Friday. By 
Saturday morning, NABET, which 
was threatening to strike no more 
than a dozen hours before, canie' 
around and decided to take their 
gains to the membership for a vote, 
which is expected to take place 
within the next few days. 

NABET was meeting with NBC 
and CBS in. Boston and IBEW and 
CBS had simultaneous dickers go¬ 
ing, on in Washington, D.C. From 
the way that the five participating 
parties proved constantly aware of 
what was. transpiring in the other 
locale* it was fairly evident that 
the unions, on the one hand, and 
the networks on the other, were 
periodically comparing notes of 
their respective collective bargain¬ 
ing talks, 

As a matter of fact, the reported 
agreement between IB and CBS 
was cited as a reason; why NABET 
decided to accept similar- terms 
the next day instead of striking. 
Quoting a network source,, the 
IBEW-CBS bargaining had con¬ 
tinued “placidly” for most of the 
two-week duration of the D. C. 
meeting: NABET and ABC and 
NBC had begun talks several days 
earlier and, at one point in time, 
the. union openly declared that the 
networks were anywhere but near 
to an agreement on NABET de¬ 
mands: - 

Apparently, When IBEW. left 
the meeting Friday afternoon, it 
was'not sure of the next step, al¬ 
though NABETJhad the impression^ 
that , everything was Wrapped up 
in Washington: It Was only on 
Monday (3) that CBS discovered 
IBEW was going to take the CBS 
terms to its membership for a 
vote, signifying that the union had 
accepted the offers. IBEW’s eight 
locals are voting now. The Chi 
and L. A. locals were, expected to 
have a determination -by today and 
tonight (Wed.) the New York local 
will halve an 8- p.m. meeting of its 
members. 

... IBEW has always been a few 
dollars ahead of NABET on wages. 
However, NABET bargained its 
way into a 6% wage increase (on 
all levels of employment) which 


afforded senior technicians ap¬ 
proximately $10 more apiece each 
week. IBEW got a 2Vfe%~or $5 
weekly increase for senior em¬ 
ployees at CBS, so that both 
unions will get $180 in top mini- 
mums When the nCw pacts are 
signed. 

It takes four years, under the 
old contracts, for ' IBEW and 
NABET men to reach top wage, 
but CBS, NBC and ABC each 
agreed to reduce the. escalator 
clause to three years.. An IBEW 
spokesman in Washington conced¬ 
ed that, on lower levels,” some 
members, would be getting in¬ 
creases of .$30 a Week, as the re¬ 
sult of the new escalator clause, 
bringing their WagCs immediately 
up from $141 to' $180. 

There are some 1,400 IBEWians 
working at CBS. Union said that 
300 members or thereabouts would 
be benefitting from the escalator 
clause in one. degree or another. 
The . .rest, union said, are already 
at top scale, (CBS estimated that 
with other wage benefits it was 
granting an overall wage increase 
of 5% to IBEW.) 

NABET, in pinning down the 
video tape jurisdiction that NBC 
and ABC gave it two years ago, 
Was granted jurisdiction on taped 
remote tv programs within a 
radius of 200 miles of any NBC .or 
ABC owned & operated station. 
CBS said later that this clause was 
written into its IBEW contract in 
1956, thereby placing both unions 
on an even-Steven. tape basis, 
since they already had tape juris¬ 
diction on studio-produced shows. 

NABET, just before negotiations 
began, felt that another key mat-, 
ter was that of pension and health 
benefits at ABC. NBC has already 
got a plan going for NABET em¬ 
ployees* while ABC had none. The 
outcome of the talks was that ABC 
promised to pay a week’s salary 
for each year of employment that 
a NABET man has had at the net¬ 
work when he retires at . age 65. 
This is similar to NBC’s severance: 
pay setup. CBS pointed out that 
while it doesn’t have an employee 
retirement plan like NBC’s, it does 
“have a variation of our own.” 

NABET won group insurance 
and paid hospitalization at both 
NBC and ABC. There were fewer 
details available about the 'pro¬ 
posed IBEW pact than there were 
about NABET’s. r 

In lieu of a four-daiy week, 
NABET got the' two networks to 
promise that “any layoffs caused 
by automation must be on a six- 
month notice and When layoff oc¬ 
curs the member laid off will re¬ 
ceive three months’ pay plus sever¬ 
ance pay.” 


Church of the Air 

Ancient Hebraic, melodies and a 
number of modern Israeli, songs 
were interwoven . to advantage in 
this special “Sabbath for Israel” 
program, Sunday (1) morning on 
CBS Radio. . It was a half-hour 
show of special appeal to those of 
the Jewish faith. 

Music for the service was pro¬ 
vided by the Stephen S. Wise Free 
Synagogue Choir, under the direc¬ 
tion of Dr. A. W. Binder. Rabbi 
Ario' S. Hyams, of the Temple 
Beth Sholom of Roslyri Heights, 
L.I., was the speaker, rendering a 
sermon, titled “IsraeVs. Psalm of 
the New Life.” He paid a convinc¬ 
ing tribute to the 10th anniversary 
of the State of Israel. Horo. 


SSS Continued from page 29 

tunity to advance his career con¬ 
siderably by virtue of his perform¬ 
ance. . 

In the case of the average actor, 
on Broadway, he learns a role and 
“after two weeks he stops learning. 
From that point on, the most im¬ 
portant thing for him to do Is to 
keep repeating his role the same 
way.” But constant work in new 
roles is what gives an actor matur¬ 
ity and dimension, and-television 
can’t help: but be a help to the thea¬ 
tre In enabling its actors to gain 
this type of experience, says Kerr. 

He’s hopeful too, that television 
will be beneficial oh the other side 
of the stage, at the audience level* 
“Television can’t hurt the theatre’s 
audience; when the movies drained 
away the pdpular legit audience, 
it left a hard, loyal core of theatre¬ 
goers. If in subsequent years they 
haven’t been pulled away, there’s 
no chance that television will do it 
now.” On the other side of the 
ledger, there is the possibility that 
tv Will lead to the growth of the 
theatre audience. He reasons 
thtisly: 

“In the early days of radio, 
everyone was afraid the phono* 
graph record was going to disap* 
pear, because radio was . giving all 
that music away for nothing over 
the air. But as radio began to flood 
the air with symphony, record sales 
began to go up, and the record in¬ 
dustry is now 10 times the size it 
was then. . People learn to like good 
things by being exposed to them* 
They learn there’s a great, deal of 
pleasure to be gotten from a gqpd 
play, simply by virtue of its being 
good, and likewise, less pleasure 
to be gotten from a play that’s not 
well done. I think there is enough 
good drama on tv—and I’m not 
saying there isn’t plenty that’s bad 
—to raise the standards of the pub¬ 
lic and to heighten their apprecia¬ 
tion of good drama. And this may 
eventually lead some of them into 
the live theatre.” 






... not when you buy WCAU-TV 


The once familiar Indian Head may be out of sight.,. but its buying power isn’t out of range when you consider 
these WCAU-TV figures: 

SPOTS—3 (2B, 1A).. TOTAL RATING*-61.8.......... COST—$1200.... COST PER 100** IMPRESSIONS—5c 

For just a bagful of nickels, you can gain low. cost access to more than half of the TV homes in Philadelphia.. 
creating 2,406,251 viewer impressions. 

Spend your nickels wisely... maybe they can’t buy a good cigar or a cup of coffee.., but they can still buy a 
lot of business for you on WCAU-TV. 

WCAU-TV 

... the station that means business in Philadelphia 

Represented Nationally by CBS-TV Spot Salet 

*1957 November ARB 

**or as Madison Avenue would figure: 1000 viewer impressions for 50$ 








48 


RADIO-TELEVISION 


USRiJSfr 


Wednesday,. February 5, 1958 


4 Pete r Salomon 


; Continued- from, page 32 ; 


dren’s show had already been 
made, Bill Nichols had already put 
the musical comedy series into pro¬ 
duction, and Bob Graff had already 
been assigned to produce the series 
on Communism. But what with the 
special projects unit haying been 
SO; much a one-man inspiration, its 
entire future may be up in the air. 

Salomon entered radio writing 
immediately after . his graduation 
from Harvard in 1939, combining 
this with freelance writing for the 
Providence 'Journal. After join¬ 
ing the Navy early in the War as 
a yeoman, he was commissioned 
an ensign and produced “The Vic¬ 
tory Hour” for the Navy on net¬ 
work radio. Thereafter, he spent 
six years with historian . Samuel 
Eliot Morison working on a 14- 
. volume history of IT. S. naval op¬ 
erations, doing on-the-spot combat 
research during the war and ad¬ 
ditional work afterwards. 

After rejoining NBC, he con¬ 
ceived the idea of “Victory at Sea,” 
which got warm support at the 


network. NBC prexy Robert Sar- 
noff, at that time head of the NBC 
Kim Division, was the series' 
strongest backer and served on the 
show as executive producer,. .With 
Salomon as producer-writer, Rich¬ 
ard Rodgers as composer arid Isaac 
Kleirierman (now a CBS public af¬ 
fairs associate producer) , as editor. 
Series, which ran for 26 weeks ori 
Saturday afternoons, was an im¬ 
mediate sensation and in subse¬ 
quent syndicated reruns more than 
recovered its cost. Meanwhile* the 
LP condensation Of Rodgers* score 
has become one of the bestselling 
items, in the RCA catalog. A the¬ 
atrical version of the series, how¬ 
ever. Was less successful. 

From “Victory at Sea,” Saloinori 
went on to produce “Project 20,” 
a series of one-hour specials on 
20th Century life and its great 
ideological movements and leaders, 
included in the series was “Night¬ 
mare . in Red,” “The Twisted 
Cross,” “The Great War,” “The 
Jaz? Age,’* “The Innocent Years,’ 


“Call-to Freedom”: and “Three, 
Two, One,.. Zero.” It was while 
working on these programs that 
Salomon was tapped for the.special 
projects job. 

Ambitious schedule set up by 
Salomon for his unit so impressed 
the network that it proceeded to 
duplicate his special projects oper¬ 
ation by the creation of a similar 
unit to function ill the entertain¬ 
ment field, and assigned Jess Op- 
penheimer to head it up. Salo¬ 
mon's operation, though, had an-, 
other influence at the network in 
that it shrank the web’s public af¬ 
fairs dept. into a skeleton opera¬ 
tion (it had already been stripped 
of responsibility over NBC News), 
and, . ironically, pubaffairs.i v.p. 
Davidson Tayldr had severed his 
NBC ties only three weeks before. 
Salomon's death. 

Salomon is survived by his 
mother, a sister and brother. 


. Louisville—Bill Tillery, former 
producer of several WHAS radio 
programs, has been named to the 
neWly created position of director 
of WHAS-TV Continuity. Tillery, 
a nine-year, veteran in radio work, 
has been with WHAS since March, 
1956. 


WARD Swing To ‘Live! 


■ Continued from pace 39 ; 


main at best No. 4 station in the 
market 

WABD has not deferred com¬ 
pletely to live from here on in. 
Station, in a cost-saving tieup With 
two other stations* has lately 
bought “Bengal Lancers” and 
“Medic.” Both series had their 
first runs on network. So far, 
however, WARD has not hotly 
contested for brand new syndi¬ 
cated product, which is generally 
more costly. 

Last week, WABD replaced 
Wendy Barrie with a new half-hour 
strip brought in by Miss Barrie’s 
former producer Lester Wolf. It’s 
a half-hour roundtable discourse, 
at b p.m. which currently stars 
novelist Fannie Hurst. 

*A second new show, one not an¬ 
nounced yet, will be a 3 to 3:30 
cross-the-board audience partici-] 
pation stanza, followed by the 3:30 
to 4:30 “Bingo-at-Home” strip, 
which begins the 17th. 

A new Tuesday night half-hour, 
“Put It In Writing” will kick off 



PRE-SETTING 

90R LIGHTING CONTROL 



N0WI FOR THE FIRST TIME... ,.. ... 

YOUR CUE SHEET DIRECTLY CONTROLS ALlI USHTIKG QKUITS FOR M HUMBER OF P8ESUS 



- Vjt v J 


} 


CrioHvi Engfnnnring for Living T/ioof/o 6/,..^ 

LUMITRON DIVISION ME] 

METROPOLITAN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING CO, 

2248 STEIN WAV LONG ISLAND CITY 5, N. Y.'\ ♦ AStorta 84200 


Feb. 25. Sandy Becker, who does 
two daily kid shows on WABD, will 
emcee the handwriting analysis 
course, and he’ll be joined each 
week by a series of different 
graphology experts. Show is a 
Philomel package, sold to station 
by Hillard Elkins agency. 

Hy. Gardner is switching mo-, 
mentarily from WRCA to WABD to 
do a Wednesday at 8:3Q live inter¬ 
view sesh, and a new live variety 
package is earmarked for Thursday 
at 8:30. 

Daytime sked looks this Way: 
Becker from 8 to 10 daily; “Roiriper 
Room” from 11:30 to 12:30; Herb 
Sheldon from 12:30 to 1 (with a 


Action 

Besides going to live pro¬ 
graming as much as possible, 
WABD is r changing its. face 
under the. Richard Buckley 
mahageirient in other ways. 

By Friday (7), WABD will 
have eight salesman, a record 
number for the station, and 
six of them were hired withi 
the past few months . by 
Buckley. The other two remain 
from among the five salesmen 
there when Buckley topk over. 


format change expected shortly); 
“Showcase” at 1; the new audi¬ 
ence show at 3; “BlrigO” from 3:30 
to 4:30; Sheldon in “Studio Party” 
from 5 to 6; Fred Scott (half live- 
half film) with “Bugs Bunriy” to 
6:30, and Becker (ditto half live, 
etc.) with “Looney Tunes’’ until 7. 

The nighttime station sked 
ranges in live content; Monday, 
with from 9:30 to 11 filled with 
fights, etc., Is the heaviest in live 
at the moment. (Every night, 
Monday through Friday;. WABD 
has an 11 to midnight hour of in¬ 
terviews encased in “Probe” and 
“nightbeat.”) Then there is the 
new Tues.-Wed.-Thurs. 8:30 trio, 
“Put It In Writing," Gardner and 
thie. upcoming variety format; 
Thursday there is also , live wres¬ 
tling from 9 to 11. Friday at 10 
Art Ford’s “Greenwich Village 
Party,” the first live-variety format 
done by the station since it went 
local froril network a few years 
back, remains , but without its ini¬ 
tial sponsor. 


Continued from page 39 

schedule of 20 announcements, 10 
one-minute announcements and 10 
chain breaks bn the Blair list, for 
slifhtly more than the average 
time. and. talent cost on orie day¬ 
time network quarter hour. 

H-R Representatives named Rob¬ 
ert V. Meany, formerly of BBDO* 
as presentations director and 
upped Martin Goldberg to director 
of audience and market analysis. 
Meany formerly handled presenta¬ 
tions and analyses for BBDO’s re¬ 
search department. Goldberg was 
supervisor of ratings for ABC- 
radio. 

Morton A. Barrett upped to sec¬ 
retary of the Bolling Co, He also 
assiunes title of director of sales 
development. 

Carlos Franco, vet agency man 
who joined Forjoe, station reps, 
has. been upped to executive vee- 
pee. He reports to Joe Bloom, 
prexy of outfit. 


CBS ‘Search’ Soaper 
Gets Prod. Overhaul 

“Search for Tomorrow*” the 
CBS-TV soaper, is undergoing a 
virtually complete personnel chang- 
Over on the production side. Char¬ 
les Irving, who created the soaper 
with Roy Wmsor, has resigned as 
exec producer due to his commit¬ 
ment on the NBC-TV “Kitty 
Foyle” serial; Frank Dodge is re? 
placing Myron Golden as producer; 
Frank and Doris Hursley, Coast 
writers, are being brought in to 
handle scripting chores; and the 
directorial setup has been changed 
to permit three alternate directors, 
Ian Martin, Leonard Valerita arid 
Ira Sirker, with alternate director 
Hal Cooper exiting. 

Also, Terry O’Sullivan, who 
starred in the series for three 
years, is returning to the show in 
his original role. . Karl Weber, who 
replaced O’Sullivan some months 
back* is leaving the cast. 














































49 


Wednesday, Teiwuairy 5, 1958 





60 YEARS 

A tradition in management 

Sixty years ago, tlie principles of dedicated management and the 
credo of managerial, responsibility were laid down by tbe founder of 
this Agency, William Morris. 

These principles bave never changed—that the careers of its clients are 
its prime responsibility—^ that the end result of their creative efforts 
“and all assets so, built are splely, and completely the client’s property. 

Its sixty years of growth is the most eloquent tribute to the prin¬ 
ciples and integrity of its founder. 

And thus the worlds oldest theatrical agency turns the corner into 
1958 with great confidence for its clients, alert to changing con¬ 
ditions, with its experienced manpower buttressed by progressive 
young men growing up with the organization to preserve and per¬ 
petuate the spirit which from its beginning has been its inspiration. 

WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY, inc. 

NEW YORK BEVERLY BILLS CHICAGO LONDON PARIS ROME 

" :★ 







RADIO-TELEVISION 


Doerfer’s Testimony 


Z'S&fEfr 


Lotsa Golf Tourneys 
On NBC-TYs Roster 


WBBM 


; Continued from pace 25 ; 


Vedkewliy, Febroary 5, 195ft . 


— PeDegrm Warns 
H Of ‘SfiMing 


Chicago, Feb. 4. 

A caution agamst selling and 


• - Continued from page 24 ' ' NfcC-TV ft scheduling telecast — W (If ^CK ’ 

1 ... of at least four major golf tourna- ed to rural tastes. WBBM has If f t jlinPflllVTIlJ 

paid him $575 for expenses at Spo-; a scintilla of. evidence of improper ments through the spring and sum- worked towards building up strong. V1 wmwvi 

kane. influence of any kind affecting my mer, with the possibility of addi- local personalities with rigid rules rh . _ . . 

Although NAB ha<f listed the independence of judgment.” tional tournament coverage now in about what they should and should cmcago, J?eb. 4. 

item as expenses, Doerfer test!-. Detailing his service in Govern* negotiation. Definitely on the slate no t be-^i.e., according to the previ- A caution agamst selling and 

fied that he^broke it down into, ment since 1924 and as a Gommis- are' the National Open out of 0 usly quoted exec, “sincere, fami- buying air time strictly via the 

two parts: $300 as an “honorari- sioner since 1946, Hyde declared: Tulsa, June 14; the Las Vegas ly-type guys . . . not flippant, no s liderule was voiced here by Frank 

inn” for delivering the speech and “I hope my whole career, my char- Tournament of Champions, April pitchmen, no smart guys and no E p p ii effr ln vn of the H-R *ta- 

$275 for his wife’s travel expenses, acter and my reputation are not to 27; the Tam O Shanter out of Chi- characters.” * . ® ' p * , , 

Various documents were intro- be attacked and judged on the statio “ stafts over 20 a W a ™> «ppenes, who stated it thus: 

Juced in evidence in connection basis of charges which seem to gapped up practicallyset, the U.S. f ers> five continuity writers, five “If we continue to play at the num- 
with this trip They included a question whether I have in some Open,, m June . cn . cftrch . producer-writers (and two addi- bers game, we may all be replaced 
tic?, a instances- involving trivial So far, there s no sponsorship * , wpp1r » n xv arrant by ,a single Univac machine.” 


with this trip. They included a question wnetner i nave m some 
payment by NAB of $141 for Doer- instances, in volving trivial 
fers‘ hotel bill in Spokane a pay- amounts, properly construed gov- 


iers‘ hotel hill in Spokane a pay- amounts, properly construed gov- ^eer^ set far' mosf Tam ers ’ and two orche stras, not to Pellegrin, speaking before .the 
ment by KWTV of $165 to Ameri- emmental regulations concerning o. Sh a nter wiu h / carried a„ tw0 mention a large news department Chi Broadcast Advertising Club 

can Airlines for passage to Okla- per diem allowances; and that I Recessive Sundays from 6 to 7 which services both WBBM and last Thursday (30), laid the onus 

horna City, a payment by NAB of will not be charged with miscon- successive ^muuys irom oiv WBBM _ Ty It ev en main t ains a * 6 r slideruling not so much on the 


weekends), two arrang- by f a single Univac machine.” 


noma i^ny, a payment ny ui. -— -- nm * .the Vegas tourney, which --*• v -- *>»***«..« ** mi **•«'-** < 

$575 to R. M. Brown of Portland, duct simply for my interest and benefits the Damon Runyon Cancer full-time program development de- time buyer as on the stations 

.1 __. Wllhnpllflss t/1 obtain information _ . ■ _ . J __ .. . nurfmdnt in tho norenn rtf A»-f -P^il in ‘Wriviiio iha atfahrioi 


Ore , then district director. willingness to obtain information F und^3 to 4 on a Sunday; National partment in the person of Art fail to “provide the agencies with 

TWrfPi* attpmntprt to interruDt and understanding m the area of 0 ’^ Saturday Latter will be Thomas, and uses writers even for meaningful and up-to-date informs- 

,u? s t!™1ng o“ SigS/W ^ 2^S£»wSS5 1 3rita dtttar shows ,T*re are five tion. about themselves/'. To^mauy 

to PYniain hk nnci tion and contact With theoperation toiirnev As for +he US Onen recorded music shows on the sta- broadcast salesmen, he said, are 

SwSiXwsM.E of 1116 yari0US services '” . .nScH* a&ertagiS- . linSlrm «?» weekdays from signon to 11:30 content with citing only the rat- 


tion but chairman Morgan Moulder 
(D-Mo.) refused to allow any de- 


of the various services.” 


s e rt i n g “categorically and commitment on that also. 


parture from the order of proced- without, any reservation ^whatso--—-_ 

tire He'insisted over the pro- ever that no one has attempted ni* iir II i i ■ 

tests of several subcommittee to influence his decisions before E|| WaDaCIL DOD Aftieche 

members, that Doerfer was not the FCC, Hyde expressed ^ephfid- | _ > n , i 

“on trial” and that he was not con- ence that examination of the sub- |]|t0 tODiaX rOrtraYal 
ducting “a courtroom proceeding.” committee memorandum will^ show J # 

Doerfer Hits at Schwartz ^^^ Of Albert AnaStaSW | 


“on trial” and that he was not con¬ 
ducting “a courtroom proceeding.” 

Doerfer Hits at Schwartz 
When he was permitted to testi ? 
fy, Doerfer read a statement in 
which he; lashed out at Schwartz 
for his authorship of the subcom¬ 
mittee memorandum which leaked 
to the press and brought on the 
present hearings. Asserting his 


XVm., but each runs only 15 min- ings service or services which rep¬ 
utes long and one of these is the resent them most favorably, in- 
Howard Miller network show^for stead of presenting area coverage 
Wrigley Gum. Except for the statistics, proof of coverage, qual- 
moming soapers and the Miller itative analyses of their audiences, 
show, station doesn’t have a canned special package rates and other 
show until 3:45 p.m. specific data that might outsell a 

Biggest live segment Is in the rating, 
mornings for virtually a solid three As director of a survey for Na- 
hours, and nearly all of the quar- tional Assn, of Broadcasters in 


w-nicu ne: lasiwu. uui «i. owutfuu • (Q._ play the lead in “The Albert Ana- “Gold Coast Show,” however, is needs of advertising agencies, Pel- 

for his authorship of the subcom- 063 1111111 stasia Story ” on CBS-TV “Climax” not only a spot catcher hut is a legrin has been compiling data on 

mittee memorandum which leaked _ . .. . ... series Feb. 27, about the gangster skit built around ET ? s, and it’s the subject ever since. “Time buy- 

to the press and brought on the —. Continued from page 27 ^ . . s i ain r ece ntly in Manhattan. Also loaded with ’em. ers will continue to rely on rat- 

rays. Using exceptionally fast film set for the drama ft Don Ameche, It’s rare for local radio, and even ings,” he"says, “as long as that i 

c s, s t a n ^ (DuPont Super 4; which is 13 times who will play the role of a news rare for tv, but the station uses all they have to work from.” 

ine recutations bv Srtiohs ind fas ‘ er ttan •«««»»; W a <*-Mt commentator. four of five studios every morning —---* 

innuendo 1 '’ Doerfer called the ' vhite !’ Tor s continued,’ weknow it is the first appearance on and a total of 27 people in the «a/ivr nDTriTlVAlICr’C 

memo ’’the work of a man who an y lhl "«. we can see with uur own •‘Climax?' fqr each. Show will tee first three hours of the day includ- JACK BACKHOUSE S 

either does not understand or does eyes, the camera ean see bettm’. off the series to be produced by writers, producers, performers r urin n/ril DAPT 

not wish to understand the respon- “Costuming, which should he a Eva Wolas, under supervision of and musicians. JJ'IlAK WIlW lALI 

sibilities of the FCC’’ simple matter of outfitting every- William Dozier, in charge of live , , , , —— . — v . 

Doprfpr rharepd Schwartz with °neWith lungs, fins,‘wet suits’and programs at CBS. Chicago, 1 eh. 4. 

•empTnyinTomisIbn to create ho ^ ds ’ sometimes presents head- Wel * is negotiating -for Michel ARC Rai|||| ™GN Inc., whose radio and tv 

doubts as to his integrity “I resent aches - The neoprene suits must be R ay to play the lead in its-March MRU 113016 stations have lately been jockey- 

hi^met^d and his-inference/^he «tted ^ery carefully. If hot. they 6 ^ C 1 Jax/' “The Little Thief.” — continued from pae e 24 = 

said “I know* that I accepted these a ^ sor ^ t<?Q muc i 1 water an< i story of an Italian moppet in Rome sports locally, last week advanced 

leverfl Sndred dollar^ara rea come heavy enough to send a man who plots to get himself adopted have live musical support the net- its cause another notch with the 

Slu honurkrium for'dUUvery'of to ?*» bottom - .Start*' *» «* * by an America Couple. ’ . W«rt did not tty. signing of announcer Jack Bnck- 

an address in Spokane as I accep- serious danger. .Killer sharks that CBS is negotiating for James In all. some 40 to' 50 performers !l ou ?f t0 a , Ile ^' fiyc-yeer contract, 

ted honarariums ori other occa might attack a surface swimmer MacArthur for the male lead in were reportedly, given their notice ® eside ?, doing play-by-play of 

sfons. j n krn)\v 11 tlfat 0 the 0 statute C en- ignore one. belopi the surface. “The iKinely Stage/' on its"Studio by ABN, Th«e orchs. and the Si “ ^.1^di-et* 1 the 


; Continued from page 2\; 


Hollywood, Feb. 4. hours, and nearly all of the quar- tional Assn. of Broadcasters in 
Eli Wallach has been signed to ter hours are single sponsored. 1940 on the station information 
ilay the lead in “The Albert Ana- “Gold Coast Show,” however, is needs of advertising agencies, Pel- 
tasia Story” on CBS-TV “Climax” not only a spot catcher hut is a legrin has been compiling data on 


memo “^he wo7k of . men ,ri>« Ctt-'tt. Pjtth.tttf r «W». 

either does not understand or does eyes - 41,6 see better, 

not w-ish to understand the respon- “Costuming, which should he a 
sibiliUes of the FCC.’’ simple matter of outfitting every- 

Doerfer Charged Schwartz with 

„ „ i hoods, sometimes presents head- 

employing omission to_ create ’ T . 


JACK BRICKHOUSE’S 
5-YEAR WGN PACT 

Chicago, Feb. 4. 

WGN Inc., whose radio and tv 
stations have lately been jockey¬ 
ing for. commanding position in 
sports locally, last week advanced 
its cause another notch with the 
signing of announcer Jack Brick- 


ABC Radio 


; Continued from page 24 ; 


sions. I know that the statute en- W1U J ^ nure one ueiUW ‘The Lonely Stage,” od its “Studio by ABN. Three orchs, and the 

acted by Congress permitted me to “Whenever w-e shoot underwater. One in Hollywood” Series Feb. 24. singers have been retained for the 

do so.” both John Florea, my associate Yarn, by Bob Dozier, is about an McNeill„ Backus and Griffin 

Regarding the charge of “frater- producer, and I go down with the actress-mother of a teenage son. stanzas, 

nization” with the industry. Doer- director, cameraman, lighting man Barry Sullivan, Patricia Neal, gut the 17 to 20 musicians and 
fer testified: "Your counsel as- and actor-divers. My secretary Ray_Danton. Dick Foran and two singers who worrk the Jim 


fer testified: "Your counsel as- and. actor- _ _ wi _ _ _ _ ....^ _ 

sumes that a public official could goes with us, too. She’s Zale Par- Amanda Blake have been set to Reeves stanza and the 21 sidemen Knrrh S JacK nosenDer 8 ana rranx 

be improperly influenced by a ry. an expert diver who set the star in “Tide of Corruption,” on two warblers Anderson now , . . , 

.luncheon.^ a dinner or a stay at a women’s depth record in 1954. and “Studio One” Feb. 17. Yarn is uses w iu.be let go. Remaining live Brickhouse joined WGN in 1940 

hotel where he is attending a pub^ probably the only secretary in the about a Senate committee investi- sh ows stay at full performer and f ? r t J e V ast years has done 

lie function: If the public officials world who has taken dictation on gating the gambling racket, strength. Then too, the news de- L he Play- by - play for both ^Chicago 

of America could so easily be in- a slate, 30 feet under the Pacific.” _ ——~_ partment will ultimately be adding baseba11 teams on WGN-TV. 

fluenced, then God save the Re- Years hack, Tors, produced Wilma SflCC^ ^100^-011 some staffed* to assimilate the 

public,” “Science Fiction Theatre* for Ziv. IfUUW iTOO 1 n, 5^ added work load envisioned for T.J™ 

Doerfer also blasted Schwartz -—-- Rricfnl-MvArC NaWQ W that department. AiaOJeDerger laKCS 

sioners accepting color tv sets and J limmy Stewart Partner J j Wilma Soss, founder and presi • I vicinity of $16,000 per week tod On Added ABC Chores 

personal use "Tfie facts are/' he BraMsnort T « Feb 4 ness ' ^ do the l«*W»tatal upcoming retrenchments was not adding to h“s other i°L that of 

said, that tv sets from industry Brazosport, Tex., Fely 4. , ugs B ristohMyers when the disclosed, but fhey nre said to coordinate for all the network's 

have been used by Commissioners Bill Schueler, prez of KBRZ firm starts sponsorship Feb. 10 of be “verv substantial ” * 


e been retained for the Brickhouse will also direct the 
Backus and Griffin Tribune stations’ sports depart¬ 
ment, which numbers announcers 
, _ n . . , Lou Boudreau, Vince Lloyd, Jack 

17 to 20 musicians and Quinlan, and Lloyd Pettit, and 
s who worrk the Jim wr jters Jack Rosenberg and Frank 
iza and the 21 sidemen K orc h. 

' a ie^? Brickhouse joined WGN in 1940 


, 30 feet under the Pacific.” ■ ; - ’ partment will ultimately be adding base bal l teams °n WGN-TV . 

‘ s T.^ a « k ’ WllmA Sflc/ ^piaff^ (In some staffers to assimilate the 

ce Fiction Theatre* for Ziv. UlUDa mQ&o Ufl added work load eiiv i s ioned for Tolr^o 

--- Rri<;tol-Mver<; New.s SeR that department Kiddleberger lakes 

y Stewart Partner J j Wilma Soss, founder and presi- vicinity of $16,000 per week tor On Added ABC Chores 

In Purchase of KJM Shareholders in American Busi- The nature of the savings via the I dent ^and* controller^for V A iC^is ' 
Brazosport, Tex, Feb. 4. ^ S* 11^“. TK.'^ **«'!* *<> hi * other jobs that.of 


said, that tv sets from industry 77 °“- ^ plugs for Bristol-Myers when the disclosed, but they are said to coordinator for^^allthe network^ 

have been used by Commissioners Bill Schueler, prez of KBRZ f irra -starts sponsorship Feb. 10 of be “very substantial” owned & operated radio stations 

to obtain Information and observe here, has announced that a new “Pockethnnk News” nn NRC Radio. I °? s ‘ 

practices in the industry almost corporation, of which he is prez. “Pocketbook News^ will be aired ==s ^ = g ^'- po . hcy de " 


practices in the industry almost corporation, of which he is prez, “Pocketbook News ” 1 will be aired 

from the beginning of tv broadcast- has purchased KJIM, Fort Worth. Mondays from 9:30 to 9:40 p.m. as Uf !■ L 

ing. They have had developmental Associated with Schueler in the a feature of “Nightline.” WOStlKRCllOIISO 

monochrome sets of different man-- new firm ft, Jimmy. Stewart* the Program’s purchase was an- ■ ■ 

ufacturers, sets with converters, film star. Others are Paul Taft of nounced yesterday (4) by Lee H ‘ i Continue* from page 25; 
laboratory color sets and others.” Houston, associated with KGUL- Bristol, Jr., director of public re^ scope In December It rev 


owned & operated radio stations. 
He’ll be responsible for “policy de¬ 
cisions” and will act as trouble¬ 
shooter when the radio network 
has a problem, to be ironed out 
with the o&o’s. 

. It -was generally believed that 


louviaiuij- tuiui scia duu uuici^- aiuuaiuu, aasuwtucw ikuvu- UriStOl, JF., aiTeCtOr OI PUDllC Te- annna Tr. li 

In anticipation of testimony, TV, and F. Kirk Johnson of Fort lations of Bristol-Myers Produc- scope * P ecember * ft reverted the overall responsibility for o&o’s 
Comrs. Rosel Hyde and Robert T. Worth. tions Division, and Matthew j. ba <* to Halley* who had been paid fell about four months ago to Rob- 

Bartley issued statements in reply iSale of the station is subject to Gulligan, y.p,- in charge of NBC f br ft by CBS. Subsequent efforts er t Eastman, prexy of American 
to implications regarding their con- the approval of the Federal Com-* Radio. Mrs. Soss wiU Integrate to sell it In the U.S. have'met with Br ?- adc 1 ast i 1 i 8 Network, the ABC 
duct emphatically denying, that any munications Commission. Ken. Fer- company’s commercials into pro- resistance hv KOnn?nr* who nrpfpr - net work radio diyision. But it was 
of his acts as a government official gusoh, who has been general man- gram matter. Bristol will appear on f ^ P P explained that Eastman never ac- 

justify charges of “official miscon- ager of the local station for the the first show and other company t0 flVOld Government disapproval. tuaUy had direct supervision over 
duct,” Hyde challenged the sub- past four years, will continue as execs will be heardT oh subsequent Some sponsors, however, have told * be stations, but was “on hand to 

rnmmiHon 4< Ar om>oTio a1c* a 4^ >;L A „r___ _ 2 _ ^ vrvinrir _L- * «« *« .. i’ « *. . fflVA Jlf^virA ,, fn fVio nJtrn nnorofnrc 


committee “or anyone else to show I operating head of KBRZ. 


IN MILWAUKEE... 



ZIV SHOWS1 
PACK | 


Time after time In city after city 

ZIV SHOWS RATE GREAT! 

^1 HIGHWAY PATROL. ...2L4 
^2 HARBOR COMMAND... 18.2 

Oct. ’57 Pulse Report of 
Top Syndicated Shows 


ZIV TELEVISION PROGRAMS INC. 


Hailey that' a science-fiction ap- Wve/dvjce to the o&o operators, 
preach might take off the stigma, n Tn rad ‘ 2 , CQ ‘ 

and he’* considering such a change, cw"?. 1 , 1 , o eS , « m0I J 

“ 7 * Siegels (ABC top financial officer) 

Course is setin 1962 and^tells among the ABC tv o&o’s. 
the story of a Presidential flight —— ^ 

toi Moscow oh a peace mission at a 
war between the U.S. 
and Russia is imminent. After 
leaving the States and while en 
route, the President learns that a 
bomb has been directed at the 
U.S., and faces the decision as to ■ 
whether to Intercept it with the H 
Presidential plane and destroy H 
himself and the bomb; or to risk S 
its landing in the States. Iipplica- H 
tion is that radar wouldn't help ■ 
avert a disaster. 

Hailey, Incidentally, has turned p 
down offers from Doubleday and 
Knopf to turn his “Studio One” 
two-parter, “No Deadly Medicine,” 
into a novel, first because he flnds 
it easier to write in dramatic form 
and second because he hasn't the 
time. He planes to England April PHOTOGRAPHER 
18 to do some research for a new TO THE GTARG 

script on Scotland Yard and also nu nnini?/ 

to help the BBC-TV stage “Medi- 

cine” He's also dickering for a Mt * 5r ” H#w Tw * 

Broadway stage version of “Medi- ,h#n * br ARe.ioim.nt co mui 
cine,” which starred Lee J. Cobb., 




Wednesday, Fehrnary 5, 1958 


51 



* 




BRIGHTEST, FUNNIEST 
COMEDY PACKAGE ON TV 




— Billboard, January 20, 1958 


[9% 





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Here's how to capture your transition audience—with TV's 
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FILMS 



















Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


PEstiEfY 


MUSIC 



Arnold Maxin, MGM Records-4 
new prexy, is gearing for a closer 
tie between the diskery and Metro’s 
musical output. He’s instituting a 
program of disk and film coordina¬ 
tion for mutual promotion, of the 
M&M disks and the MGM films, 

Maxin has blueprinted a release 
program not only on the studio’s 
filmusicals but on background mu¬ 
sic from non-musicals as well; Each 
pic album release wilL be support¬ 
ed by special promotion and ex¬ 
ploitation on the disk jockey, deal¬ 
er and coinbox levels. Special win¬ 
dow and counter displays tying in 
the picture and the theatre will be 
placed by diskery’s distributors and 
salesmen. 

A pic playdate service will sup¬ 
ply distributors and local music 
shops with complete information 
on j all film bookings in their areas, ; 
with specific instructions on whom 
to contact for dealer-exhibitor Co¬ 
ordination. ■; More pic albums will 
be sent to radio stations and more 
fieldmen used to carry out the 
disk-film coppdinafting project: 

Some of the non-musical films 
that MGM plans to issue as sound¬ 
track sets include "The High Cost 
Of Loving,” “High School Confi¬ 
dential,” "Ben Hur” and "Tom 
Thumb.” Maxin also plans a pop 
singles drive to help along the pic 
product. 

Jukeboxes Take 
Big Hold in Brit. 

London, Feb. 4.. 

Jukeboxes are catching on rapid¬ 
ly in Britain. Estimates indicate 
that they are being installed at the 
rate of about 300 a month in res¬ 
taurants, pubs, pin table arcades 
and coffee houses. The trend is a 
natural reaction to the public’s 
all-time peak interest in disks, but 
has not yet reached the stage where 
diskettes are concentrating oh 
jukes as bigtime outlets. 

Of the 8,000 estimated jukeboxes 
In Britain at the present trine, the 
majority are confined to rural dis¬ 
tricts with a surprisingly small 
number in the large towns and 
cities. Reason for this is reported 
to be due-to the lack of certain 
social, ameneties in the- secluded 
communities. Central - meeting 
places fQr the teenagers in these 
out-of-the-way spots are cafes, sim¬ 
ilar to soda fountains in the States, 
where the youngsters .gather in 
the evenings. For the owners of 
these eateries; the jukebox has 
proved a boon but the smalltimers 
still find the cost of the machines, 
varying between around $1,400 and 
$2,500, prohibitive. . J 

Fed’l Judge Dismisses j 
2-Way Action Between 
i Sesac, Affiliated Music 

In "plague on both your 
houses” decision, Judge Sylvester 
J.. Ryan in N. Y. Federal Court 
last week dismissed .suits, and 
counter-suits, involving over $500,-1 
000, between Affiliated Music En¬ 
terprises and Sesac Inc., both pri- 
vately-owned licensing societies. 
AJ^wted Music. brought a $300,- 
OOQ suit against- Sesac, charging 
monopolistic practices” in its mu¬ 
sic licencing operation, whild Sesac 
*°ught to recover $250,000 from 
Affiliated Music on the-grounds of 
unfair competition.” 

Judge Ryan said that "there Is 
no doubt that the plaintiff (Affili- 
ated) was seeking to,free the pub¬ 
lishers from the defendant’s (Sesac) 
grip in order to place them with¬ 
in its own grip.” Both Affiliated 
and Sesac have been active in li¬ 
censing the so-called "Shaped Note 
Gospel Music,” a special form of 
music notation designed for those 
not able to read conventional 
music. 


'll.Y.: FIX ktlTrade Groups Join Yank 
pi) |M m In Support of Tax on Jukeboxes 


Lucky Brushoff 

Hollywood, Feb. 4. 

The, Robert AllenrAl Stillman 
tune, "It’s Not For Me TO 
Say,” is now figured as having 
a better chance At a "Best 
Song” nomination for an Acadr 
emy Award as a result, of an 
Academy booboo in not listing 
it on the eligibility sheet. 

Discovery of the mistake 
cued telegrams to each of 160 
music, branch members, there¬ 
by .calling the song to their 
attention and giving it a prom¬ 
inence it wouldn’t have, had in 
routine listing. Sprig is from 
Bryria Productions’ “Lizzie.” 


BOM Booms For 
RCA; 200,000 Join 


The strength of the disk clubs is 
now reaching tremendous dimen¬ 
sions. Indicative of the phenome¬ 
nal potential .in the. club operation 
is the currerit response to the 
RCA Victor Society of Great Mu¬ 
sic, operated via Book-of-the- 
Month. Click of the classical club ' 
has cued talk that Victor may soon 
bow. with a Similar operation for 
POP LP’S: 

In three weeks, the response to 
the initial BOM offer of the com¬ 
plete set of Beethoven symphonies, 
as batoned by Arturo Toscanini, 
has outstripped the most optimis¬ 
tic estimates. While 100,000 sets 
were originally manufactured, sub¬ 
scribers to the club are now around 
(Continued on page 60) 


By HERM SCHOENFELD 

With all of the major, film com¬ 
panies now already in or getting 
into disk operations, the music biz 
is shaping as a two-way street— 
Broadway and Vine. It’s a tale of 
two disk cities strictly on the hop- 
and-go. 

: Hollywood’s weight in the disk 
biz, while still second to New York, 
has been rapidly increasing in re¬ 
cent yeats, Capitol Record$, which 
was founded on the Coast, has be¬ 
come the nucleus of a flourishing 
industry that now sees such labels 
out west as. Dot, a Paramount Pic¬ 
tures’ subsid; Imperial, in a buyout 
deal with Columbia Pictures; 
Liberty, and a flock of other indies.. 
Numerically, there are as many 
labels operating on the Coast as in 
N. Y., but New York still has the 
edge dollarwise because it is the 
headquarters of SUch majors as 
RCA Victor, Columbia and Decca. 

Reflecting the Coast music up¬ 
beat is the recent move by the 
Harry Fox office, publishers’ agent 
.and trustee, to set. Up a Los An¬ 
geles office for the collection of; 
mechanical royalties. At the same 
time, the Songwriters Protective 
Assn, is giving its Coast steering 
committee more authority to han¬ 
dle problems on the spot. 

The film companies’ move-in on 
the disk biz. has been accelerating: 
A few months ago. United Artists 
formed its own disk and publishing 
subsids, while Columbia, in its deal 
with Lew Chudd, Imperial Records 
chief, is following the pattern 
which Paramount adopted in, buy¬ 
ing out Raridy Wood’s Dot label 
and. retaining him as the diskery’s 
chief. 

A new disk company is due to he 
set up shortly by 20th Ceritury- 
Fox, although there’s still a possi¬ 
bility of a buyout of an existing 
label. It’s understood that Warner 
Bros, is; also studying possible eri- 
(Continued on page 58) 


Jose Ferrer on Disks 

The disk bug . has now caught 
Jose Ferrer. The stage and pic 
actor-director hiked a lorigtermer 
with MGM Records last week. 

According to Arnold Maxin, 
diskery’s new prexy, Ferrer will be 
grooved as a crooner and a reader. 
Maxin currently is looking into the 
availability of Edmond Rostand’s 
“Cyrano de Bergerac” as an album 
project for Ferrer. ,A few years 
ago, Ferrer Was teamed with his 
wife Rosemary CloonCy on a Co¬ 
lumbia Records disking. 


Cols ‘Oh Nuts!’ 


For Abbe on W 


RCA Victor has.'thrown a snarl 
into Columbia Records’ projected 
original cast album of "Oh Cap¬ 
tain” by withholding Abbe Lane. 
Thrush is firmly pacted to Victor 
and the diskery isn’t giving her the 
greenlight for the Col excursion. 

Col, however, * going ahead 
with the. package with Eileen Rod¬ 
gers, a Col. thrush, set to wax Miss 
Lane’s, songs. The Col album will 
feature Tony. Randall, Jacqueline 
McKeever and Susan Johnson. Mi$s 
Johnson, incidentally, terminated 
her RCA Victor pact when diskery 
refused to give the okay for the 
Col grooving. 

Similar original cast album prob¬ 
lem occurred a few years ago on 
"Call Me Madam,” In that instance 
Victor was on the “havenot” end. 
Diskery had pactCd for the 'origi- 
(Continued on page 58) 


RETAIL SHEET BEST SELLERS 


Survey of retail sheet music 
best 'sellers based on reports 
obtained from leading stores in 
13 cities and ; showing com¬ 
parative sales rating for this ■; 
and. Iasi, week; 

* ASCAP t BMI 


National 
Rating 
This Last 

wk. wk. Title and Publisher 


, 1 1 , .*AP)il Love (Feist)....... 4 

2 ; T .All the Way (Maraville).. 5 

3 3 iSugartime (Nor-Va-JaC).,:. 1 

4 8 ^Silvery Moon (Joy). . . 3 ’ 

r - 4 • • ♦Liechtensteiner (Burl.)... 7 

-/ ^ iq . . tAround the World (Young).. 8 


7 6 .. .tRauncby : (H&R), .. . .... ...... »„ 

8 9 tAt the Hop (SMW),:...,.,. ., 

9 14 *Catch a Falling.Star (Fisher) 2 

1 0 11 r ~ fPeggy Sue (N-V-J - Peer).... 

IIA 5 ^Fas cination (Southern)...... ... 

11B 7. f Kisses Sweeter (Folkways),. . . 

W “ tWhy Don’t (Hollis)..,.. /... 6 
14 12 *Till (Chappell) , i;....., ; .. .. 


7 5 

.. 6 .... 


'"■.•4' ., . 6 

. . . 10 10 
9 .. 9 


... * Pretend Don’t See (Meadow) - 9 


After March 1st, 1958 


Newsstands 


Per Copy 



Subscription 

115 

Per Year 


See Details Page 63 


-4- The international music business 
is rallying behind some leading 
U. S. organizations in support of 
amending the U. S. Copyright Act. 
Hearings on the bill to withdraw 
1C the exemption of jukeboxes from 
sr the music licensing provisions of 
the Copyright Act, introduced by 
Q * Sen. .Joseph C. O’Mahoney (D., 
Wyo.), will get underway Feb. 19 
. . before the Senate subcommittee 
on Patents, Trademarks and Copy- 
rights. 

Last week, the French perfbrm- 
v; ing rights society, the Societe des 
Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs 
de Musique (SACEM), made repre- 
. sentations before the U. S. State 
Dept, in behalf, of the bill. Jean- 
Loup Toumier, SACEM’s U. S. 
rep.,' urged that the Statp Dept, 
support the bill on the grounds of 
international reciprocity. 

Tournier’s arguments in behalf 
of the O’Mahoney amendments are 
seconded by virtually every other 
performing rights society in the 
j world, These foreign licensing 

( groups point out that while Amer¬ 
ican songwriters and publishers 
collect from performances in over 
rl seas jukeboxes, there are no recip- 
id rocal collections made frem the 
p. same source here, 
e. It’s understood that a represent- 
)r ative if the U. S. State Dept, will 
ie testify before the Seriate commit¬ 
tee to voice the sentiments of the 
d foreign licensing, bodies, 
i- American Society of Composers, 
; S Authors & Publishers, meantime, is 
11 marshalling support for the bill 
ie from its own members/and sympa- 
Ejs thetic groups. Among the groups 
td supporting the bill are the Ameri- 
• y (Continued on page 58) 

: NABET-RCA Pact 
: After 1-Day Hah 

After a one-day strike, the Na¬ 
tional Assn, of Broadcast Erii- 
- ployees & Technicians reached a 
deal with RCA Victor Monday (3) 
night covering 71 engineers, tech¬ 
nicians, shipping and receiving 
Clerks and material handlers at 
the New York and Chicago record¬ 
ing studios. ' 

It’s understood that NABET’s 
terms for the recording crew were 
substantially the same as the deal, 
for the broadcast engineers in the 
union’s parallel negotiations with 
the NBC network. Pay hikes will 
range around 6%. NABET also 
won the right to have jurisdiction. 
over Victor’s Hollywood recording 
studios when they open operations. 

The one-day strike on Monday 
did not materially affect Victor’s 
recording sessions since super¬ 
visory personnel took over in the 
studios. Strike was staged after 
the company rejected union’s de¬ 
mands for wage increases of 159b 
to 50% and a four-day work week. 

Indie Music Org Can’t 
Get Off the Ground; Not 
Ennf on Hand to Elect 

A meeting to elect permanent 
officers of the recently formed 
Assn, of Independent Music Pub¬ 
lishers, scheduled for Monday (3), 
was postponed due to a poor turn¬ 
out. Out of 21 charter members, 

• reps of only riine firms showed up. 
Joe Csida, temporary prexy of 
the outfit and one of its organiza- 
tional sparkplugs, moved to delay 
the elections to a Feb. 13 luncheon 
meeting in N. Y. At the same 
time, a "committee on issues” will 
be set up to determine what ques¬ 
tions the AIMP is to tackle. The 
AIMp is generally regarded as 
sympathetic to Broadcast Music 
Inc., although its members gen¬ 
erally have affiliates in both BMI 
and ASCAP. 

The call for Monday’s meeting 
also disclosed the dues schedule of 
the new organization. Dues range 
from. $1,600 annually for a top 
firm, down to> $200. 















54 MUSIC 




Wednesday, FebrnaryS, 1958 


Jocks, Jukes and Diski 


-By BERM SCHOENFELD* 


Tony Perkins (RCA Victor): 
“INDIAN GIVER” (Pant), a cute 
teenage-slanted tune with a good 
lyric peg* gets a highly pleasing 
ride by Tony Perkins who makes 
the most of his limited vocal equip¬ 
ment. “JUST BEING OF AGE” 
(Hill & Ranget) is another solid 
ballad for the contemporary mar¬ 
ket. 

Les Baxter Orch (Capitol): 
“LOVE THEME FROM *A FARE¬ 
WELL TO ARMS*” (Feistt), a 
lush pic song, is dressed up in a 
glistening waltz arrangement for 
big returns. “DANCE FROM 
‘BON JOUR TRISTESSE’ ” (Car- 
l'ott), another film tune; has a 
charming lilt which Baxter spot¬ 
lights via a sopraho sax sound. 

Hugo & Luigi (Roulette): “76 
TROMBONES” (Frank*), from 
“The Music Man” score, gets a 
rousing orch and choral version in 
march tempo. This slice could put 
this number over. “TWILIGHT 


“PARKING” (Starritet) is another 
attractive rhythm side. 

The Modernaiges (Coral): "ACT 
TOUR AGE” (Daniels*) is an okay 
teenage-slanted number delivered 
in the approved rocking style by a 
legitimate vocal ensemble. “AS 
LONG AST HAVE YOU*' (Gladys*) 
is a slow-tempoed entry, but with 
less immediate impact. 

The Titans (Imperial): “DON’T 
YOU JUST KNOW IT" (Acet) is 
a laughing record idea set to a 
rocking’beat with strong impact 
as delivered by this combo. “CAN 
IT BE” (Venicet) is fa mili ar 
rhythm material. 

Betsy' Jones (K a p-p): “I’VE 
LEARNED" (Regentt), a mildly 
rocking tune with a good lytic for 
the genre, is handled attractively 
by this country-flavored songstress. 
“COUNTRY WALTZ” (Harman*) 
is an okay ballad in the “Tennessee 
Waltz” tradition. 

Floyd Cramer (RCA Victor): 


Best Bets 


TONY PERKINS 
(RCA Victor) 

LES BAXTER .. 

(Capitol) 

HUGO & LUIGI ......... 

( Roulette ) .. 

DANNY & THE JUNIORS 
( ABC-Pardmoiint ) 

THE SHIRRELS.. 

(Tiara) ... 


.. . .................. . INDIAN GIVER 

... . . Just Being of Age 

LOVE THEME FROM “FAREWELL TO ARM$” 
.. .Dance from “Bonjour Tristesse” 

.... ■■■. .76 TROMBONES 

.....— .. Twilight in Tennessee 

ROCK 'N* ROLL IS HERE TO STAY 
... School BpU Romafice 


i .1 Want 


I MET HIM ON A SUNDAY, 

t You tp Be My Boyfriend ^ 


IN TENNESSEE” (Planetary*) is 
an easily gaited ballad with a 
pleasing oatune flavor. 

Danny & The Juniors (ABC- 
Paramount): “ROCKIN’ ROLL IS 
HERE TO STAY” (Singulart) 
could develop into "the “John 
Brown's Body” of the current teen¬ 
age generation. A political mani¬ 
festo about rock, this item has_ a 
good beat and a lyric that the juves 
may start singing back to their 
elders, particularly that line about, 
“rock ’n' roll will always be, it'll 
go down in history.” “SCHOOL 
BOY ROMANCE” (Singulart) is 
another teenage slanted tune which 
doesn’t blaze any new trails. 

The Shirrels (Tiara): “I MET 
HIM ON A SUNDAY” (LUdlowt), 
a rocking ballad With a fresh beat 
and a cute lyric, is sold to the hilt 
via this new combo. “I WANT YOU 
TO BE MY BOYFRIEND” (HolUst) 
is in a .more routine groove. 

Mario Lanza (RCA Victor): “AR- 
R1VEDERCI ROMA” (Reg Connel¬ 
ly*), featured in the “Seven Hills 
of Rome” pic, is socked across with 
Lanza's trademarked tenor pipes. 
Even though running against the 
tide of current pop tastes, - this 
could be a big one. “YOUNGER 
THAN SPRINGTIME” (Chappell*), 
from the “South Pacific” score, is 
another classy side for changCrof- 
pace programming. 

Jimmy Dean (Columbia): “MAR¬ 
IN’ MY MIND UP” (Korwint), a 
catching tune with an amusing 
lyric, is bounced neatly in country 
style by Jimmy Dean. “STAR¬ 
LIGHT STARBRIGHT” (Domin- 
iont) is a pleasing ballad * with a 
simple, oldfashioned type of. lyric. 

Four Aces \Decca): “ROCK AND 
ROLL RHAPSODY” (Trinityt), 
which is about as far removed from 
the rock *n r roll idiom as one can 
get, is an offbeat idea with good 
chances via the Four Aces’ rendi¬ 
tion. “I WISH I MAY I WISH I 
MIGHT” (Bluegrasst) is a strong 
uptempo ballad marked by stand¬ 
out instrumental 'backing. 

Warren Miller (United Artists): 
“EVERYBODY’S GOT A BABY 
BUT ME” (Unartf) is an okay item, 
projected with the approved rock¬ 
abilly mannerisms by this new 
singer. “SAY YOU’LL BE TRUE” 
(Unartf) is a good slow folkstyled 
ballad. 

Roger Williams (Kapp): “ARRI- 
VEDERCI ROMA” (Reg Connelly*) 
gets another crackerjack cover via 
Roger Williams' pianistes and 
chorus and orch under Hal Kanner. 
“THE SENTIMENTAL TOUCH” 
(Oxford*) is an excellently pro¬ 
duced, attractively swinging num¬ 
ber, also with choral ensemble. 

The Emeralds. (ABC-Paramount): 
“YOU BELONG TO MY HEART’' 
(Peerf) is in the hands of a rock 
*n’ roll group with a lead singer 
who can Just about articulate the 
lyrics. Which probably won’t pre¬ 
vent the kids from spinning it. 
“THE ONE I ADORE” (PamcofV 
is a routine item, the lead singer’s 
dietjon again sticking out like a 
sore thumb. . . ' 

Dee & Patty (Mercury): “FIRST 
DATE” (Starritet), a country tune 
with a teenage peg. is vocalled with 
a winn'ing simplicity by this duo. 


“FLIP FLOP AND BOP” (Acuff- 
Roset) is a toe-tapping item that 
gets a driving piano workout with 
some lpwdown sax backing. A good 
sound due for lots of spins. “SO¬ 
PHISTICATED SWING” (Mills*) 
gets a fine lightly swinging slice. 

Sammy Hagan & The Viscounts 
(Capitol): “TAIL LIGHT”' (Caden¬ 
za*) is. another, teenage-slahied 
tune with a rocking beat handled 
in standardized style by this, combo. 
“SNUGGLE BUNNY” (Ariest)- is 
the Uptempo side with no particu¬ 
lar lyric significance. 

Norman Luboff Choir (Colum¬ 
bia): “THE MORNING OF MONT¬ 
MARTRE” (Livingston &. Evans*), 
from the “Oh Captain” score, is 
an attractive but special piece of 
showtune material, smoothly deliv¬ 
ered by this vocal ensemble. 
“JUST ONE ‘OLAY’” (Walton*) 
goes nowhere. 

The Tyrones (Decca): “GIG¬ 
GLES” (Mutual*) is another rock¬ 
ing tune with a laughing peg and 
this one does generate chuckles-r- 
or giggles. “BROKE DOWN 
BABY” (Valleybrobk*) is routine 
rocking stuff. 

The Midnighters- (Federa 1): 
“DADDY'S LITTLE BABY" (Jay 
& Ceet) is an authentic-sounding 
rhythm . & blues , entry belted in 
backroom style by this combo. 



LAWRENCE WELK 


And His CHAMPAGNE MUSIC 

3rd Consecutiye ; Year 
Dodge Dancing Party. 
ABC-TV—Sat. 9-10 RE, E.S.T. 
For Dodge Dealers of America 
Top Tunes and New Talent 
ABC-TV Mon. 9:30-10: 30 pm, E.S.T. 
Dodge and Plymouth 
Coral Records 
Thesaurus Transcriptions 


“STAY BY MY SIDE"' (Jay & 
Ceet) is a slow ballad in the same 
r&b groove. 

: The Majors (Felsted): “ROCKIN’ 
THE BOOGIE” (Regentt), a blend 
of the boogie wobgie and rock ’n’ 
roll beats, shapes up as a promis¬ 
ing. instrumental as performed, by 
this crew. “BLUE SUNSET” “Re¬ 
gentt) is a smooth instrumental 
similar in mood, to “Canadian Sun¬ 
set.” 

Randy Sparks .(Verve): “WALK¬ 
IN’ THE LOW ROAD" (Sparrow*) 
is a fine country tune delivered in 
appealing tenor style. “JAMAICA 
FISHERMAN” (Oakland*) is a 
(Continued on page 60) 


BOSTON REAL GONE ON 
GARNER; SYMPH6GSR0 

t Boston, Feb. 4. 

Erroll Garner became the first 
solo jazz performer to sell out Bos¬ 
ton Symphony - Hall here Friday 
(31) night when he grossed $9,000. 
Sellout, at a $3.85 top, included 
the sale of 200 seats on the stage. 

The Garner concert ‘was pro¬ 
moted by jazz impresario George 
Wein who has a/followup date with 
the pianist in Philadelphia’s Town 
Hall this Saturday (8). 


Neb. Ballroom Ops Elect 

Omaha, Feb. 4, 

Floyd Paul of Arlington last 
week was elected prexy of the Ne¬ 
braska Ballroom Operators Assn. 

Other officers are Dale King, 
Norfolk, v.p.; Charles Malec, 
Omaha, secretary, and Phil Vacha, 
Schuyler, treasurer. 


(Compiled by Sam Goody’s, leading New York disk retailer. 
■ tphose global mail order operation reflects not only the national 
market, but internationally). 


Artist 

Title 

Label 

1. Original Cast 

The Music Man 

Capitol 

2- Original Cast 

West Side Story. 

Columbia 

3. Original Cast 

My Fair Lady 

Columbia 

4. Meredith Willson 

The Music Man 

Capitol 

5. Sound Track 

Around World 80 Days 

Decca 

6. Pat Boone 

Greatest Hits 

Dot 

7. Johnny Mathis 

Warm 

Columbia 

8. Ella Fitzgerald 

Sings Rodgers & Hart 

Verve 

9. Sound Track 

Pajama Game 

Columbia 

10, Errol Garner 

Other Voices 

CoUuribia 

11, Lester Lanin 

At the Tiffany Ball 

Epic 

12. Frank Sinatra 

Caine Fly With Me 

Capitol . 

13. Harry Belafonte 

Calypso 

RCA Victor 

14. Nat King Cole 

Love,. Is the Thing 

Capitol 

15. The Weavers 

At Carnegie Hall 

Vanguard 

16. Sound Track 

Pal Joey 

Capitol 

IT. Pete Seeger 

Favorite Ballads 

Folkways 

18. Roger Williams 

'Fabulous Forties 

Kapp 

19. Mantovani 

Film Encores 

London 

20. Original Cast 

Jamaica 

RCA Victor 


Album Reviews 


Mario Lanza: “Seven Hills of 
Rome*’ (RCA Victor): One of the 
highlights of RCA Victor’s current 
pic soundtrack splash, this pack¬ 
age,. on one side, presents Mario 
Lanza vocalistics, in Metrols “Seven 
Hills of Rome” pic .and, on the 
other, in an -unrelated songalog. 
In the “Seven Hills” track, Lanza's 
operatic pipes are in fine fettle oh 
an attractive program of pops, such 
as the title song, “Arriyederci 
Roma,” and “Come Dance’ With 
Me,” plus a light calypso item and 
a Verdi aria. High mark is one long 
sequence in which Lanza does ex¬ 
cellent takeoffs on Perry Como, 
Frankie Laine, Dean Martin and 
Louis Armstrong. 

Other releases in: the recent flood 
of Hollywood soundtrack sets in¬ 
clude GeOrge Auric’s score for 
“Bonjour Tristesse” and Franz 
Waxnian’s music for . “Peyton 
Place’’; both on the RCA Victor 
label; and George Dunning’s score 
for “The Cowboy” on Decca. Au¬ 
ric’s score is marked by one power¬ 
ful jazz sequence with an unbilled 
dixieland combo, Juliette Greco’s 
vocal of the title song, and a 
charming traditional dance theme. 
“The Peyton Place” set is more in 
the idiom of Hollywood atmos¬ 
pheric music, but containing a 
couple of lilting thematic strains 
which unify the work. “The Cow¬ 
boy” score is a . highly listenable 
roundup of western motifs. per¬ 
formed in vivid color by the studio 
orch under Morris Stoloff’s bftton. 
In a genre related to pio sound¬ 
tracks, the Gerald Wiggins Trio, a 
Coast outfit on the Specialty label, 
jazzes up Victor Young’s score for 
“Aronnd Hie World In 80 Days.” 
Wiggins on pTanO, with drum and 
bass accompaniment, is an always- 
swinging performer with a rich 



1. AT THE HOP (3) 


2. RAUNCHY (9) v 


Danny it Juniors .. 
{Bill Justis ........ 

.-■{ Billy Vaughan .... 

.(Ernie Freeman .... 


. .ABC-Par 
.....Phillips 

..... Dot 

... .Imperial 


3. SUGARTIME (3) 

4. APRIL LOVE (11) . J............... 

5. GREAT BALLS OF FIRE (5) 

6. SAIL ALONG SILVERY MOON (2) 

7. OH JULIE 

8. GET A JOB 

9. PEGGY SUE (2) 

JO. THE STROLL (1) ................. - 


Second Group 


ALL THE WAY 

I’LL COME RUNNING BACK 

YOU SEND ME- .............. .. 

DON'T LET GO 

FOR SENTIMENTAL REASONS 

DON’T 

STOOD UP 

CATCH A FALLING STAR 
KISSES SWEETER THAN WINE 
YOU ARE MY DESTINY ,. 


McGuire 'Sisters • 
Pat Boone-.. 


Jerry Lea Lewis ... 


Billy Vaughn ..... 


Crescendos ..... .., 


Silhouettes ....... 


Buddy Holly ..... 


Diamonds ......... 

....Mercury 

Frank Sinatra . 

..... Capitol 



Sam Cooks ..... 


.Teresa Brewer ... 

.'.. •.. .Coral 

R6y Hamilton .... 


Sam Cooke ....... 


Blvis Presley ...... 

......Victor 

Ricky Nelson ...... 

....Imperial 

Perry Como 

......Victor 

Jimmie Rodgers ... 

... Roulette 

Paul Anka . 

. . . ABC-Par 


{Figures in ?parentheses indicate number of weeks song.has been in the Top 101 






melodic style akin to, EitoII Gar¬ 
ner’s. 

Boyd Raeburn Orch: “Teeii 
Rock’’ (Columbia). * If the kids 
want the rocking heat, Boyd Rae-: 
burn gives it to them, hut with 
some musical sense to the pound¬ 
ing rhythms. In this set, -Raeburn 
and a sharply trained big band are 
turned loose on 10 standards up¬ 
dated for the contemporary juve 
market, plus two new items. The 
beat, for the most part, is laid 
down with; a rocklike insistence 
for easy dancing, but the overlay¬ 
ing sound has a variety of shad¬ 
ings which overcome the monton- 
ous effect of straight rock ’n’ rolL 
Ginnie Powell impresses with her 
sinuous vocals of “I Gotta Right 
To Sing The Blues,” and “Wanna 
Do Nothing All Day.” The band is 
tops on “Yesterdays,” “There's A 
Small Hotel” and “Beachcomber.” 

Tab Hunter-Peggy King-Jarmil* 
Novotna: “Hans Brinkeri (Dot). 
This original cast album version of 
the upcoming NBC-TV “Hallmark 
Hall of Fame” adaptation of this 
children’s classic has some -tune¬ 
ful and clever material by song¬ 
writer Hugh Martin performed by, 
a solid cast. “I. Happen To Love 
You,” sung by Peggy King, is a 
standout ballad with pop chances. 
“I’m A Very Lucky Boy,” delivered 
by Sheila Smith and Vinny Conrod, 
has a catching lyric, while Tab 
Hunter has a couple of neat songs 
in “Ice” and “The More The Mer¬ 
rier,” arid with Miss King, in 
“Clop, Clop, Clop” and “Hello 
Springtime.” Jarmila NOvotna 
d. e livers a i lullaby, “Trinka 
Brinker,” in polished style. 

Jon! James: “Ti Voglio Bene” (I 
Love You) (MGM>. In this set, Joni 
James returns to ancestral sotig 
sources with a program of Italian 
oldies. In her familiar relaxed bal¬ 
lad style. Miss James registers on 
numbers like “I Have But One 
Heart,” “Non Dimenticar,” “An- 
erna E Core,” “Arrivederci Roma” 
and “Dicitencello VUie,” with both 
Italian and English lyrics. Several 
songs are sung only with Italian 
lyrics and the songstress seems to 
display a special sensitivity to this 
material David Terry’s orch backs 
up ably. 

“Julie Wilson at the St. Regis” 
(Vik). Recorded during a perform¬ 
ance at the Maisonette of the St. 
Regis Hotel in N.Y. last year, this 
package is a potpourri of sophisti? 
eated songs., delivered in hep style 
by a songstress whose additional 
visual impact is suggested hp color 
photo on Ihe jacket Her tubes, 
some of them slightly naughtly, in¬ 
clude “Twelve Good Men and 
True,” “Every Baby Needs a Da: Da 
Daddy,”„ “Too Naive/’ “I-Refuse 
To Rock and Roll,” “Unathletie 
Me,” “A WOman Without Experi¬ 
ence” and “A Bad Bad Woman” 
(but Some good good company), 
and others. i 

“The Soul of Haiti” (Vanguard). 
This is an offbeat collection of 
Haitian songs fit magic, love and. 
voodoo ritual powerfully delivered 
by Jean Vincent. Vincent’s vocals 
are backed up with some compel¬ 
ling drum and flute sounds sup¬ 
plied by the Alberto Socarras orch. 

1 “Catch The Brass Ring” (Micros 
sonic). Via some hi-fi recording 
techniques, this package captures 
the familiar sound of a Carousel or¬ 
gan. This collection of tunes, in¬ 
cluding such items as “You Can’t 
Be True,” “The Dickey Bird Song,” 
“Wfriffenpoof Song,” “Too Fat 
Polka” and a couple of marches, 
was recorded at a Coney' Island 
merry-go-round and has everything 
blit the smell of sugar candy and 
hot corn. 

“This Troubadors In Spain” 
(Continued on page 58) 







































Wednesday, February 5,1958 


P'SmEfr 


MUSIC 55 


‘Gold Awards’ No ‘Fascination’ 
To Jane Morgan, Who Pans ’Em 



nimuiliiuiiliimili 

Jane Morgan is against the disk 
industry’s current gold standard. 
The Kapp Records thrush believes 
that the diskeries, by hand¬ 
ing out gold records indiscrimi¬ 
nately for alleged -1,000,000 flat¬ 
ter sales, has made it a virtually 

meaningless tribute. 

It’s no longer a trade secret, she 
adds, that the companies claim 
1 , 000,000 sales, when it’s really 
only 600,000 or 700,000; as a peg 
to get the disk performer, an extra 
promotional fillip for a shot on one 
of the tv musical Variety shows. 
There’s also a big difference be¬ 
tween a ‘‘record company’s 1,000,- 
000” and.a "“publisher’s 1,000,000/’ 

The publisher’s figure repre¬ 
sents mechanical royalties paid oin 
actual disk sales. 

Miss, Morgan suggests that the 
disk industry form its own com¬ 
mittee, a la-Hollywood’s Academy 
of Arts & Sciences, to give awards 
for disks of merit and. achieve¬ 
ment. And if .awards are to be 
given for thV 1,000,000 seller, the. 
figure; should be authenticated be¬ 
fore there’s hoopla on the gold 
disk. 

Miss Morgan says that she’s, cur-; 
rentjy nearing the. 1,000,000 sales' 
mark herself for "Fascination” on 
the Kapp label. 

‘Gross(Iy) Exaggerated' 

London, Feb. 4. 

Outspoken British bandleader 
Johnny Dankworth, who recently 
cancelled out of an Ahglo-U.S. 


band Swap because the terms didn’t 
suit him, had some more Outspok¬ 
en observations to make about the 
disk business recently in an article 
in the Daily Express., He wrote that 
the public was being taken for a 
ride by the .diskeries, because 
sometimes reports of the numbers 
of records sold were “grossly” ex¬ 
aggerated. 

“More than one artist,” he. al¬ 
leged, “who has been presented 
with the . coveted.; 1,000,OQO-sale 
golden disk has later found that 
to be rather bad at arithmetic, and 
a 1,000,000 dwindles to less than 
half that number. The truth leaks 
out. when the royalty returns for 
the tune are calculated.” 


Tokyo’s Sudden Run On 
Mile. Francois’ ‘Epics’ 

Tokyo, Jan. 29. 

Personal appearances here . by 
French singer Jacqueline Francois 
sent crowds .. scurrying to record 
marts and caused a sellout of her 
disk of “Chiehs Perdus Sans Col¬ 
lier” and three other numbers on 
Epic label. 

* Sales spurt highlights the wave 
Of chanson popularity in Japan 
with many native singers learning 
to mouth sorrowful French ditties. 
Field also gives devotees an egotis¬ 
tical lift because they feel it is at 
least one cut above the. pop song 
level. 


British Disk Bestsellers 

London, Feb. 4. 

Jailhouse Rock ...... Presiey: 

(RCA) 

Story Of My Life . .. Holliday 
(Columbia) 

Oh! Boy -V.. Crickets 

(VoguerCoral) 

All The'Way ■....._Sinatra - 

.(Capitol) . 

Great Balls Of Fire.... Lewis 
(London) 

Making Eyes. .Adams & Otis 
(Capitol) " 

My Special Angel. M. Vaughan. 
(HMV) ; 

Kisses Sweeter ..,.. .Rodgers 
(Columbia) 

Peggy Sue . . ...,.. ,... . Holly 
(Vogue-Coral) 

April Love .. ........ .Boone : 

(London) 


Verve Seb A&R Dept. 

With Kessell as Head 

Hollywood, Feb. 4. 

Norman Granz, head of Verve! 
Records, has created a new post 
of artists & repertoire chief for 
the label with Barney Kessell tak¬ 
ing over the job. Verve plans to 
concentrate on rock ’n’ roll for its 
sihyle releases. Assisting Kessell 
in the a&r department will be Gil 
Farfield and Bunny Botkin, who 
records for Verve under the Fra¬ 
ternity Bros. tag. 

Granz. is kicking, off his six-week 
European jazz concert tour in 
Brussels Feb. 12. Headlining will 
be Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peter¬ 
son. Meantime, Paul Weston is in 
a deal to work with Granz, initial 
assignment, being Miss Fitzgerald’s, 
album of “Irving Berlin’s Song-, 
book.” 


Int’I Dish Scorecard- 

While the European disk biz 
climbing, the foreign-lan¬ 
guage platter market in the 
U S. has all blit disappeared, 
except for the Spanish-speak¬ 
ing areas. With immigration 
into the U.S. declining to a 
trickle in recent years, so: has 
the activity in Italian, Swedish, 
Norwegian and German disks, 
once a healthy slice of the 
total American market. The 
recent influx . from Puerto 
Rico has, however,- maintained 
a good sales level for Span¬ 
ish-oriented platters. 

Occasional calls . are received 
by the major companies for 
other foreign language disks, . 
but these are so few that it’s, 
no longer worth while to press 
them. •' 

Dallas Disk Jockeys 

Set Up Own Diskery 

Dallas, Feb. 4. 

The White Rock Record Co. has 
been* formed here by three local 
disk jockeys, Jim Lowe, Carl Reves 
and Chuck Duncan, all of them 
heard here on WRH, Dallas’ munic¬ 
ipal radio outlet. 

First released Is by Tommy Hud¬ 
son and the SaVoys with “Rock-it” 
backed by “Walkin' the Stroll.” 


The projected move by the Song¬ 
writers’ Protective Assn, to set up 
a central agency for the collection 
of song cleffer royalties has re¬ 
ceived an overwhelming endorse¬ 
ment from SPA members. In re¬ 
sponse to a questionnaire mailed 
early last week to oyer 2,700 SPA 
tunesmiths by prexy Burton Lane, 
over one-half of the membership, 
including; many top ranking song- 
smiths, /has already replied, with 
over 90% okaying the proposal to 
set up an office which would deal 
for the songwriters on a collective 
basis, except for performance 
rights, which are licensed through 
ASCAP and BMI. 

At present, music publishers pay 
sheet music and disk royalties to 
the individual songwriter. The clef¬ 
fer, under terms of the basic SPA 
agreement, has the right to ask for 
an audit of the publishers’ book 
and SPA also maintains the right 
to conduct periodic spot checks of 
the books. Under the projected 
setup, the SPA agency would col¬ 
lect for all cleffers subscribing to. 
the plan via direct dealings with 
the publishers. 

Some fears that the SPA plan 
intends to bypass the publishers by 
having songwriters collect at the 
source, such as frcm the disk com¬ 
panies, are without tjasis, according 
to SPA execs. SPA would only be 
exercising a right it already has, 
namely to collect for its members 
upon request, without taking on 
any additional authority over song 
properties. 

One publishing exec pointed out 
that the basic fact of the music 
business is that the publisher, and 
not the songwriter, owns the copy¬ 
right and hence retains the right 
to license and collect for the vari¬ 
ous uses. The new SPA project 
does not impinge on the publisher’s 
ownership of the copyright, he 
said. But, he stated, there are 
Straws in the wind indicating that 
the songwriters are thinking of cut¬ 
ting into the publishers’ ownership 
of copyrights. “When that day 
comes,” hte said, “they’ll have a 
real- fight on their hands.”. 

In the meantime, backed by the 
support of the SPA ranks, there 
is no question any more that some 
sort of collection agency will be 
set up within a relatively short 
time. 


Local 47 Issue 
On Music Fund 



Washington, Feb. 4. 

The fight of Los Angeles Local 
47 of the. American Federation of 
Musicians to prevent royalties and 
reuse payments for work by its 
members from going into the AFM 
Musicians’ Performance Fund has 
reached the Supreme Court.. 

Appeals from the California Su¬ 
preme Court ruling in favor of 
Local 47 have been filed by CBS, 
NBC, California National Produc¬ 
tions (NBC subsidiary), Loew’slnc., 
Republic Pictures and its Holly¬ 
wood Television {Service, RCA, and 
Capitol, Decca and Coral Records. 

The appellants contend that the 
California state courts had no right 
to handle the cases in the first 
place, and that the actions should 
have been in the ^Federal' courts 
throughout. 

They paid the royalties to Sam¬ 
uel R. Rosenbaum of New York, 
named trustee for the Performance 
Fund, which provides free con¬ 
certs. The appellants pointed out 
in their brief that Rosenbaum 
could not be touched by the Cali¬ 
fornia courts since he remained 
in New York, although he is a key 
figure in the matter. 

They said they had to pay the 
royalties to Rosenbaum, instead of 
to the Local 47 members as addi¬ 
tional salary, under their contract 
with the AFM. If they should pay 
the royalties to Local 47, as the 
California courts direct, the appel¬ 
lants, argued they would not be 
protected “against being compelled 
to- pay the same obligation a sec¬ 
ond time under a judgment in an 
action in another state, brought by 
Rosenbaum.” 






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2 



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10 

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DANNY & JUNIORS (ABC-Par) 
At the Hop ....... 2 




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5 


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CRESCENDOS (Nasco). 
Oh Julie_ 



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McGUIRE SISTERS (Coral) 
Sugartime ....._ ...... 


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3 


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DIAMONDS (Mercury) 
The Stroll . . . . . 




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BILLY & LILLIE (Swan) 

Lah Dee Dab... _ 


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19 

ROYAL TEENS (ABC-Par) 
Short Shorts.... . 

3 


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52 

8 


FRANKIE AVALON (Chancellor). 
Dede Dinah.;. 6 

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ELVIS PRESLEY (Victor) 

I Beg of You. . 









8 

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10 

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6 

8 

48 

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BILLY VAUGHN (Dot) 

Sail Along Silvery Moon .. 


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9 

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4 

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ELVIS PRESLEY (Victor) 
Don't .... 

9 


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12 

17 

PERRY COMO (Victor) 
Catch a Falling Star- 



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9 


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16 



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13 

13 

RICKY NELSON (Imperial) 
StOOd Up.;...,/;.. . 






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MITCH MILLER (Columbia) 
March from River Kwai ... . 



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7 



27 

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RICKY NELSON (Imperial) 
Waiting in School.. -. . ... 

7 



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3 










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3 


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16 


FOUR PREPS (Capitol) 
Twenty-six Miles/.- 










, , 

1 







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2 


4 



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17 

11 

FRANK SINATRA (Capitol) 
Witchcraft* .. 

8 



6 










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10 

10 







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18. 

12 

BUDDY HOLLY (Coral) 
Peggy Sue---; 






10 












7 

4 


9 

4 


21 

19 

25 

PAUL ANKA (ABC-Par) 

Yon Are My Destiny..;.... 



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FRANK SINATRA (Capitol) 

All the Way.---...-.... 






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Maybe •. . 


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6 

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22 

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PAT BOONE (Dot) 

April Love... 






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21 

JOHNNY MATHIS (Columbia) 
Twelfth of Never..... 






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5 


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24 

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CRICKETS * (Brunswick) 
Oh Bdy.'.;...;..:...;. 









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WILL GLAHE (London) 
Liechtensteiner Polka.. 







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Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


Needs To Cut Prices For Mass Market 


The European disk biz, now 
climbing in a boom that’s parallel¬ 
ing the one in the U. S., is due for 
further tremendous advances once 
prices come down, according to 
George Prutting, recently appoint¬ 
ed manager of the RCA Interna¬ 
tional record division and who has 
returned from a four-week o.o. of 
RCA affiliates on the Continent 
Iii several countries, he reported, 
prices have already dropped slight¬ 
ly, with resulting sales increases, 
but disk tabs in Europe arid Eng¬ 
land are still very high relative to 
the U. S. market. 

RCA Victor, which is marking 
the first year of Its distribution 
tieup with British Decca and Tel- 
dec, disclosed that Victor affiliates 
and ' subsids in Europe tripled 
their assigned sales quotas during; 
1957. Top U. S. names abroad, 
Harry Belaforite followed by Elvis 
Presley, are both Victor artists and 
were in large part responsible for 
last year’s click of the Victor 
disks.. While abroad, Prutting 
wrapped up a distribution deal 
with the Hede Nielsen Fabriker in 
Denmark, which plugged the last 
gap in Victor’s western European 
distribution network. 

Indicative the 1 upsurge of the 
overseas market was the advance 
Order received by British Decca 
for the. Elvis Presiey “Jailhouse 
Rock” release* Prutting- stated 
that orders were received for 270,- 
000 copies in advance of the re¬ 
lease, a figure which set a new 
peak for that market. The sales 


potential of the British territory 
alone is revealed in the fact that 
Belaforite’s “Mary’s Boy Child” 
sold over 1,400,000 copies in Eng¬ 
land before Christmas and is still 
a big. seller in that country. 

Prutting also reported that busi¬ 
ness is expanding rapidly on the 
other end of the globe, in Japan, 
where RCA has a tieup with the 
Victor Nippon label. Paradoxical 
fact about the Japanese market is 
the strength of classical disks. 
Prutting estimated that , the clas¬ 
sics, the Occidental-type, account 
for well over 20% of the total 
Japanese disk gross. _ 

Prutting took over the top spot 
in the RCA international disk di¬ 
vision. at the outset of’ this year, 
replacing Pat Kennedy who exited 
the company for another business. 

Joe Sherman’s Inaugural 
Pacting for Epic Label 

Joe Sherman, Epic’s new artists 
& repertoire chief, has started the 
reshaping of diskery’s roster with 
his, first signing. Joining Epic un¬ 
der Sherman are Jimmy Breedlove 
and Ersel Hickey. 

Breedlove previously recorded 
for Atlantic and CapitoT; while 
Hickey comes, to the label via a 
master buy. Sherman plans to 
bring Hickey,, a guitarist, in from 
his Buffalo home, to exploit the. 
first disk arid prep new recording 
sessions. 




ABC-Paramount continued on its 
master-buying kick with the pur¬ 
chase last week of the Eddie Piatt 
orch’s slicing of “Tequila,” The 
instrumental had been a hot bid¬ 
ding Item among several labels for 
the past Week. 

Diskery in recent months has 
clicked with stich master-buys as 
“At The Hop.” and “Short Shorts.”. 

Pubs Ask High Ct. 
To Nix Hearing On 
Goody Decision 

Washington, Feb. 4. 

The Supreme Court-was asked 
last week by a group of , music pub¬ 
lishers to refuse an appeal hear¬ 
ing to Sam Goodyi of New York, 
perhaps the nation’s largest retail¬ 
er of cut-rate phonograph records. 

Goody is being sued for damages 
for alleged “bootlegging” of copy¬ 
right music: He lost a decision in 
the Federal Court of Appeals and 
riow has asked the Supreme Court 
to give him a hearing. He is ac¬ 
cused, of selling bootlegged records 
taken off the air and reproduced 
by one Joseph Krug. Via then at¬ 
torney* Julian T.. Abeles, the copy-, 
right owners—Shapiro Bernstein; 
Gershwin Publishing Corp., Ed¬ 
ward B. Marks Music, Miller Mu¬ 
sic, Lewis. Music and. Mutual Mu¬ 
sic Society—say Krug made unauf 
thorized recordings of radio and 
television musical performances of 
(Continued on page' 58) 


MUSIC 


Disk Yen For Legit Scores Started 
With ‘Fair Lady ; Livingston & Evans 


Feldman Quits ASCAP 

Samuel Feldman, assistant to 
Jules M. Collins, ASCAP’s sales 
manager, has resigned after 22 
years with the Society. 

Due to an old leg injury, Feld¬ 
man was unable to do the extensive 
traveling required by the job. His 
duties are being distributed among 
other members of Collins’ staff. 

On Dead Singer’s Life 

Louisville, Feb. 4. 

Release, of a recorded song about 
the life of the late Jimmy Osborne, 
country music vocalist, has been 
prohibited by a local judge. A tem¬ 
porary injunction against C. L. Mc¬ 
Daniel; owner of the Mac Record¬ 
ing Co. arid Mutual Advertisers 
of Kentucky was issued after fe 
recent hearing. " . \ 

Mrs., Leora Mae Osborne, the 
singer’s widow, had asked the order 
on behalf of herself and Osborne’s, 
two minor sons. She claimed .re¬ 
lease of the song was an invasion 
of her privacy. Damages of $10,- 
000 were asked on the grounds the 
song already had been played over 
some radio stations. Judge Lampe 
said he was convinced the disk 
was made, for private gain arid that 
it must recall certain tragic events 
of the singer’s , death. Osborne 
killed himself last. year. 


RETAIL ALBUM BEST SELLEBS 


-Jsariety- 


Survey of retail album best 
sellers based on reports from lead- 
ing stores und showing comparative 
ratings for this week and last. 


National £ 

Rating Z 

This Last 5 

wh. wk. Artist* Label, Title Ss 

JOHNNY MATHIS (Columbia) : 

1 1 Wartn(CL 1078)..-......: 

’ MY FAIR LADY (Columbia) 

2 2 Original Cast COL 5090)....., 3 

AROUND THE WORLD (Decca) 

3 3 Soundtracks (DL 9046). .. . 2 

RICKY NELSON (Imperial) ' 

4 5 Ricky (Imp 9048)............ •.... 1 

FRANK SINATRA (Capitol) 

5 6 Come Fly With Me (W 920).. ... 

PAL JOEY (Capitol) 

O 4 Soundtrack (W 012)5 
PAT BOONE (Dot) 

7 7 Pat’s Great Hits (DLP 3071) .. • 4 

NAT KING COLE (Capitol) 

8 A 10 One of Those Things (W 903).. 6 
-TENNESSEE ERNIE (Capitol) 

8 B 12 Hymns (T 756).. . . 
ROGER WILLIAMS (Kapp) 

10 11 Fabulous Fifties (KXL 5000).. 


e> 43 i 

a 2 | 

£ H : s 


2 «1 1 5 1 4 


4 1 2 € 140 


4 5 4 6 


2 6 1 4 


5 8 5108 


MANTOVANI (London) 
Film Encores (LL 1700). 


. ,. 2 .. .. 26 


KING & I (Capitol) 

-Soundtrack (W 740)... 7 

APRIL LOVE (Dot) 

Soundtrack (DLP 9000) .. ;... 8 
OKLAHOMA (Capitol) 

Soundtrack (SAO 595)--.,- 

FRANK SINATRA (Capitol) .. 
Where Arc You? (W 855) .. •:> 10 
JIMMIE RODGERS (Roulette) 
Jimmie Rodgers (R 25020)... . ■, -. - 
JANE MORGAN (Kapp) 
Fascination (ItfCL 1066).....^ 
RAY CONIFF (Columbia) 

*S Marvelous (CL 1074)..... .." 

WEST SIDE STORY (Columbia) 
Original Cast (OL 5230). :..... 
MITCH MILLER (Columbia) 
Mitch!s Marches (CL 1102)..., .. 
GOGI GRANT (Victor) 

Helen: Morgan Story (LQC1030) .: 
TENNESSEE ERNIE (Capitol) 
Spirituals (T 818) :. . 
DAKOTA STATON (Capitol) 

Late Show (T876).... 

MARY MARTIN (Capitol) 

Annie Get Your Gun (W 913).: .. 
MU?IC MAN (Capitol) 

Original Cast (WAO 990)...... 


... 10 ...- 7 20 


6 ... ... 10 


2 .. .. 6 


.. .v .. 9 3 


♦ The Alan Jay Lerner-Frederick 
;Loewe score for “My Fair Lady” 
has put the recording iudustry in 
tune with show scores. That’S, the 
opinion of vet filmusical writers. 
Jay Livingston & Ray Evans who 
bowed on Broadway last night 
(Tues.) with their score for “Oh 
Captain.” 

In the pre-“MFL” days, record- 
ings of showtunes, for the most 
part, were confined to the com¬ 
pany with the original cast album 
rights. This. disk company would 
issue singles from the score and 
some other albums in addition to 
the cast set, while the other com- 
| panies turned their mikes in other 
directions. “MFL,” however, 
changed the picture. 

Columbia Records had the orig¬ 
inal cast set and complemented it 
with an instrumental version by 
Percy Faith aqd a dance, treat¬ 
ment by Sammy Kiaye, but the 
| other diskeries, majors and indies 
alike, didn’t. let It go this time. 
More, than 20 other albums in the 
instrumental, jazz and vocal veiris 
have been issued since the “MFL” 
preem. 

A similar pattern applies to the 
current record company, attitude 
towards Meredith Willsori’s “The 
Music Man.” Capitol has'the orig¬ 
inal cast but more than a dozen 
other albums of the score are 
scheduled. These include a Stah 
Freeman workover via Columbia 
and - Jimmy Giuffre’s jazz treat¬ 
ment on Atlantic. 

According to Livingston & 
Evans, this marks a new aware¬ 
ness on the part of the record 
companies as to the- value of an 
. album tieup wi£h a successful 
Broadway tuner. Not only do the 
sets take off in New York, the 
point of origination, but in the 
grassroots, too, where hinterland- 
ers are getting an indoctrination 
in Broadway product via extensive 
newspaper arid magazine coverage. 
That’s why Philip Bloom, who’s 
handling public relations for “Oh 
Captai has mapped out a cross¬ 
country deejay tour to plug the 
singles from the score and the al¬ 
bums which will include an orig¬ 
inal cast set out of Columbia. 

Livingston &, Evans, with sev¬ 
eral Academy Awards under their 
belt and in the running for the 
upcoming accolade with “Sammy,” 
like the showtune trick because it 
allows more freedom of expres¬ 
sion. “In the theatre,” they say, 
”you have authority and control 
over your material. And although 
a showtune is more esoteric than 
a film song, the recording com¬ 
panies are now going for show- 
tunes more than pic songs.” 

As far as. a showtune becoming 
a hit goes, the songsinith duo be¬ 
lieves that it’s mostly “accidental.” 
“A showtune is written with an 
eye and. ear to the production 
value as a whole and not as a sin¬ 
gle entity.” However, they’ve re¬ 
written the lyrics.to.several tunes 
from the show to make them more 
acceptable for recordings and air 
play. Among the worked-over 
tunes are “Femininity” and “We’re 
Not Children.” 

On the question of roctf ’n’ roll 
treatments of their tunes, the 
writers are against it. “Artistic 
integrity,” they say, “is more im¬ 
portant than a hit record.” 


Elvis Presleys 
“Sides of March’ 


_19 Elvis Presley’s last disk session 
before being inducted into the 
18 U -S- Army in March is being set 
up this week on the Coast by Steve 
16 Sholes.-RCA Victor’s pop artists & 

—- repertoire chief. Sholes is ex- 

1 pected to get as many sides into 

— the can as possible while in Holly¬ 
wood, although Presley’s induction 

*6 does not mean that he can’t record 
on his leaves and othfcr time-off 
14 periods. 

! Since joining the Victor label a 
12 .couple of years ago, Presley has 

— cracked all ^modern sales records 
for the business. Virtually every 

— disk he has put out has passed the 
1,000,000 mark, while his “Don’t 
Be Cruel” platter has reached the 
5,000,000 marker worldwide. Pres- 

8 ley, incidentally, was brought into 
the Victor fold by Sholes who 
7 bought out his contract from Sun 
Records for $35,000. 





































58 


MUSIC 


PSRtSTf 


Wednesday, Febrnary 5, 1958 . 


Inf I Groups Aid Copyright 


; Continued from pace 53 ; 


can Bar. Assn., American "Patent 
Law Assn., the General Federation 
of Women’s Clubs and the National 
Music Council. 

Banging on opposition to the bill 
will be the jukebox operators, or¬ 
ganized into the Music Operators 
of America, and the disk industry, 
via the Record Industry Assh. of 
America. Their basic argument is 
that the disk industry not only pays 
royalties to the publishers and 
songwriters but that disks are the 
most important medium through 
which songs are made and sold. 

At this stage, nobody knows how 
much money Would be involved In 
the licensing of .the jukebox indus¬ 
try. ASCAP' has repeatedly as¬ 
serted that it would agree to a 
nominal licensing fee if the bill is 
1 - - - ‘ 11 ' 11 


passed, while the jukebox opera¬ 
tors insist that ASCAP wants to 
tax them out of business. But 
with an estimated 500,000, orrnore, 
jukeboxes in operation, even a 
nominal fee of $10 per year would 
add up to a substantial source of 
revenue for the Society. 


—. Continned from page 53 

try into the disk biz. The Loew’s 
company has been in the disk field 
over 10 years via theMGM label. 
Universal Pictures is in the .disk 
biz, of course, by virtue of its own¬ 
ership by Decca Records.. 
Hollywood’s importance as a disk 


Centre has been greatly enhanced 
in recent years by the click of nu¬ 
merous soundtrack albums. Capitol 
Records has had a solid string of 
soundtrack hits, as has Decca in 
the last few years. More recently, 
Columbia Records has clicked with 
film score sets; while RCA Victor 
revamped its.entire Coast setup in 
order to be a factor in this pic 
soundtrack market. 

. Aside from the .major companies 
in both New York and Los Angeles, 
there’s Chicago with Mectiry Rec¬ 
ords and San Francisco with Fan¬ 
tasy and pacific Jazz. Nashville has 
Sun Records, an important indie, 
but that City was hit with the de¬ 
parture of the Dot label from Ten¬ 
nessee to Hollywood. 

Jack Mills to Mex 

Jack/Mills, prexy of Mills Music, 
left for Mexico City on the first 
leg of Latino trek that will take 
him through Acapulco, Taxco, San 
Jose de Puruna and Havana. 


Inside Stuff—I 


Tunesmith Pat Ballard believes he has discovered a new way to get 
a song in a picture. Getting off the elevator at the wrong floor Ballard 
entered Dave Dreyer’s office at. 1650 B’way (a floor above Ballard’s 
office) and ad libbed, “I’ve got a demo here of a new country song 
called ’Somewhere There’s Sunshine,’” Dreyer took a listen and a 
week later the tune was spotted in a key plot-position in the upcoming 
Ferlin Husky picture, “The Boy from Tennessee” (Paramount), with 
Husky’s Capitol recording'scheduled for March release. "My advice to 
ASCAPefs is always have a demo under your jacket—-and then get 
absentminded,” says Ballard. 


In a move to promote one of its new; releases, A1 Taylor & His Poo¬ 
dles' slice of “The SwiVel,” United Artists has ti^d up with the Ar¬ 
thur Murray studios for the creation of a new dance around the “Swiv¬ 
el” beat. UA is distributing 250,000 hoofing diagrams to various teen¬ 
age centers, while the Murray staff is planning to deinonstrate the step 
on teenage-slanted tv shows and at school record hops. 


. 


I i 


Connie Francis 


m 


SMASHING THROUGH FOR A HIT 


WHO'S 




See her * | 
<011 first 
Dick Clerk | 
Saturday 
Night 

4 ABC TV 
*. Shew 
Feb* 15th. 


SORRY NOW 

B/W YOU WERE ONLY FOOLING (While I Was Falling In Love) 

K 12563 


WHOLE LOTT A HIT from 

Marvin 

Rainwater 



WHOLE LOHA 


BABY BON’T GO 

K 12609 on 4S & 78 rmp 




CLICKING IN ALL MARKETSI 


Kartunes 



We Graduate) 


K 12598 






iwy ‘ 


Decca Records has Issued a revised edition vof its educational catalog 
in which platters in different categories are listed for the convenience 
of schools. Each listing is accompanied by a recommendation for the 
appropriate grade in which it can be used. Decca is distributing the 
catalog to schools, colleges, libraries and retailers which do educa¬ 
tional business. *■ 


In the battle over “Fair Trade” laws in San Francisco, one of the dis¬ 
count stores fighting the distributors’ right to maintain list ^prices is 
California Record City, not California Music City as erratumed in 
Variety Jan. 29. 

=^=====4----—*-—-- 


Goody Decision 

— Continued from page 57 s 

leadings compositions by special 
artists. Krug was specifically 
named u for bootlegging of Glenn 
Miller recordings taken off the air. 

importance of this suit, say the 
publishers, is that it will determine 
their legal right to go after re¬ 
sponsible retail dealers of bootleg 
music. They explained to the 
court that the manufacturers of 
such records are “Invariably irre¬ 
sponsible individuals with no busi¬ 
ness address” and nothing they 
can be sued for. The only request 
of the legitimate manufacturer, 
they fold the High Court, “is to 
proceed against the dealers who are 
primarily responsible for the suc¬ 
cess of this illegal operation.” 

The bootleg record situation, 
they said, “is rapidly mushroom¬ 
ing into a serious threat” to the 
copyright owners. 


Album Reviews 

= Continued from page 54 == 
(Kapp), The Troubadors, a small 
combo which generates a big 
sound, slickly covers the familar 
Spanish musical scene In this set. 
Playing with tasteful simplicity, 
this stringed crew, with occasional 
whistling choruses, dishes Tip such 
items as the “Habanera” from Car¬ 
men, “Media Luz,” “The Breeze 
and I/’ “La Paloma,” “Jealousle,” 
“Granada” and.other songs of equal 
calibre. The Troubadors have cut 
also sliced similar “Cook’s Tour” 
albums for Kapp, with locales be¬ 
ing Rome, Hawaii and the land of 
the Gypsies. 

“Old Yeller” (Disneyland). Taken 
from Walt Disney’s “Old Yeller” 
pic soundtrack, this package is 
slanted for the kiddie market. In 
addition to the background music, 
this set features the complete story 
of this film with dialog and narra¬ 
tion by Fess Parker and Dorothy 
McGuire, and barking by the dog, 
Old Yeller, Jerome Courtland han¬ 
dles the title song vocal pleasingly. 

Herm. 


‘Oh Captain* 

2 /Continued from page 53 2 ,^ 
nal cast rights to the Irving Ber¬ 
lin tuner, but Decca Records with¬ 
held the services of show’s star 
Ethel Merman. Victor Issued the 
original cast set with Dinah Shore 
plnchhltting for Miss Merman. Dec¬ 
ca came up with an album of the 
show’s tunes cut by Miss Merman 
and Dick Haymes. 

Now, Victor is planning its own 
album of the “Oh Captain” Score 
featuring Abbe Lane. Score for 
the show, which bowed on Broad¬ 
way last night (Tues.) , was written 
by Jerry Livingston and Ray Evans. 

On another original cast album 
front, Columbia is still up in the 
air on “The Body Beautiful.” Tuner 
by Jerry Boch and Sheldon Har- 
nicked opened to mixed notices on 
Broadway two weeks ago. Col is 
now waiting for evidence of a run 
before it commits Itself to an origi¬ 
nal cast grooving session. The 
legituner features Mindy Carson, a 
Col pactee. 


Benefit in Macon, Ga., For 
Injured Eberle Drummer 

Macon, Ga., .Feb. 4. 

American Legion Post No. 3 and 
Steve Cole’s band. sponsored a 
dance last week (31) for the bene¬ 
fit of N. J. (Nel) Zeiman, 27, of the 
Bronx, N. Y., drummer , in the Ray 
Eberle orch who was critically in¬ 
jured in an auto crash .which took 
the lives of three other members 
of the Eberle band. Dance was to 
raise funds to pay Zelman’s hospi¬ 
tal and medical expenses. 

Head-on crash in which Zeiman 
was injured occurred near Wrights- 
ville, Ga., while members of crew 
were headed for Marianna, Fla,, to 
play a dance engagement at Air 
Force Base there. Two others be¬ 
sides three musicians died, in the 
collision. Zeiman has been uncon¬ 
scious most of the time since the 
accident. 


GC Promotes Cottin 

Sid N. Cottin has been upped to 
sales manager at the indie Golden 
Crest label. He has ibeen ad-mer¬ 
chandising manager of the diskery 
since its inception a little over a 
year ago. 

Cottin already is out on a three- 
week trip visiting GC’s distributor 
setup around the country. 


RAIN'IK! r c O! ’N"I ' 


THE SONG OF 



ROBBINS MUSIC CORPORATION 


From SWEDEN . . . the CAPTIVATING 

SWEDISH 

POLKA 

RON GOODWIN 
on CAPITOL 
GENE WISNIEWSKI 
on DANA 

end ethers , . , 

MaUMUSIC.be. 


DESIRE 
UNDER 
THE ELMS 

ELMER BERNSTEIN 

Dot Records 

FAMOUS MUSIC CORPORATION 














59 


Wednesday, February 5, 1955 


pmm 



K- - P 


! FLOYD CRAMERmFi 




SOPHISTICATED SWING 


MARLIN GREENE^WALP TO THE DANCE^MARLENE 
SOCK! DENNIS FARNON^THeKrOM PEYTON PLACEoVIENNA BONGO 

47/SO-7U* Century FoX production of “Peyton Place") 

LOU MONTEswsANGELIHMAZY MARY 




Witch far that* HBC-TV network shows Ineolor and blaek-snd-whtte...THE PERRY COMO SHOW, THE GEORGE 


60BEL SHOW, THE EDDIE FISHER SHOW, THE PRICE IS RIQHT. TIC TAC D0U0H...sll sponsored 




60 


MUSIC 


U&rieSt 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


On The Upbeat 


New York 

Dec Anthony taking over as Tony 
Bennett’s personal manager 
Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Lieber of 
Pan American Distributing Corp. 
are the winners in Epic’s Concert- 
gebouw promotion contest. They 
get a trip to Europe to visit Epic’s 
affiliate. Philips, and will attend 
some Concertgebouw recording 
sessions ... Jubilee set eight LP’s 
for February release . . . Lee Kon- 
itz Quartet currently at the Half 
Note, new jazz spot in Greenwich 
Village . . . The Four Voices head¬ 
line benefit show Feb. 16 at St. 
Vincent de Paul Infant’s Home, 
Providence, R. I. . . Fred Smith, 

Herbie Alpert and Lou Adler have 
been added to Rex Productions’ 
a&r staff. 


, . . Bassist Eugene Wright replac¬ 
ing Norman Bates for Dave Bru- 
beck Quartet’s European toUr. 


Chicago 

Cindy & Lindy set for two weeks 
at the Houston Crescendo starting! 
Feb. 26 . . v ErroU Garner returns 
to the Blue Note March 2 for a 
pair . . , Barbara Carroll Trio in 
a two-weeker at Van Orman Hotel, 
Ft. Wayne, openihg May 19 . . . 
Stan Getz into the Casino for a 
week Feb.. 11 . . . Dolores Hadkins 
will be at Eddys’ in K. C. for a 
pair starting March 7, followed 
March 21 by Gogi Grant, also for 
two. Rusty Draper dated there for 
May 9 . . MuehlebachHotel in 

K. C. gets Ginny Simms Feb. 14 
for two weeks. •] 


London 

Vocalist Larry Turner has quit 
the Dave Shand band which is resi¬ 
dent at the Savoy Hotel... A dixie¬ 
land outfit fronted by clarinetist 
Bernie Stanton skedded to open at 
Winston’s Club . . Trumpeter 
Freddy Randall h^s disbanded his 
group on doctors orders to rest a 
strained lung ... Baritone saxist 
Joe Temperley has joined - the 
Humphrey Lyttelton band. 


Hollywood 

Decca acquired soundtrack 
rights to Hugo Friedhofer’s - score 
for 20th’s “The Young Lions,” his 
fourth soundtrack to be albumized 
in a year . . . Margie Rayburn back 
following a 20-city trek to promote 
her Liberty disk -of "Smoochin” 
and “Ooh-What A Doll” . . . Earl 
Holliman hitting coast dee jays 
plugging his Prep disking, “No¬ 
body Knows How I Feel.” ... Julie 
London recording title tune for 
Universal’s “Voice In The Mirror” 
in which she costars with Richard 
Denning; 


San Francisco 

Dave & Iola Brubeck reviewed 
jazz critic Ralph J. 'Gleason’s new 
book, “Jam Session,” for Gleason’s 
paper, the Chronicle-r-gave it hefty 
praise, too . . Dick Swig sighed 
Julie Wilson for a four-week date 
at the Fairmont’s Venetian Room 
this summer ... Marty Marsala ill 
. . . Dick Saltzman’s group—Vince 
Guaraldi, Norman Bates, Eddie 
Duran — replaced The Master- 
sounds at the Jazz Showcase . . . 
Blackhawk has the George Shear¬ 
ing Quintet booked Feb. 10-24, 
Billy Taylor Trio March 4-18, A1 
Hibbler April 24 .. . Johnny Mathis 
set for Oakland, Berkeley And San 
Jose concerts Feb. 20, 23 and 24 


Pittsburgh 

Janet Noel Ferrell, organist at 
the Ankara Lounge for several 
months, has temporarily withdrawn 
to devote all her time during the 
next eight weeks to her new job as 
"head of radio-tv dept, in U. of 
Pittsburgh public relations divi¬ 
sion. Expects to return to Ankara 
April 1. . . Hal. Curtis band has 

signed a one-yeaF management 
contract with the Maurice Spitalny 
office . . Bob Wetzel, trumpet 

man, has joined the Baron Elliott 
prch . . . Bernie Armstrong, long¬ 
time director of KDKA radio staff 
band who quit as an active 
musician to go into the hi-fi busi¬ 
ness,. first in Miami and then here, 
has left the-Concerto Room to head 
up the organ dept, of Miller Pianos 
ih South Hills district. 


Philadelphia 

Three Philly deejays have plat¬ 
ters riding high: Larry Brown 
(WPEN), ”At the Hop,” Jocko Hen¬ 
derson (ex-WDAS), “Tear Drops,” 
and Kai Williams (WDAS), “Get a 
Job” . .Charlie Gracie now on .au. 
personal tour in the midwest , . . 
Gene Krupa’s agents have can¬ 
celled this month’s weekend book¬ 
ings at the Red Hill Inn. They 
claim drummer has a cold. Car-' 
men McRae opens at the Jersey 
spot (7) . . . Ray Charles into the 
Club Bel-Aire, Chester (3-8) ..... . 
Sandy Stewart inked for three- 
week run on the Garry Moore show 
(3-24) . . Jody Sands had going- 

away party at Chancellor Hall be¬ 
fore taking off Jor Australia . . . 
Mike Pedicin working Tunick’s 
Showbar (3-8) . . . A1 Raymond 
band has its first release on Ju¬ 
bilee Records . . . The Platters 
into Sciola’s (10) . Dizzy .Gil¬ 

lespie plays the Showboat (3-8; 

. . . Max Roach current at Pep’s. 


f^RI^TY Scoreboard 

OF 

TOP TALENT AND TUNES 


Compiled from Statistical Reports of Distribution 
Encompassing the Three Major Outlets 

Coin Machines Retail Disks Retail Sheet Music 

as Published in the Current issue 


NOTE: The current comparative sales strength of the Artists and Tunes listed hereunder is 
arrived at under a statistical system comprising each of the three major sales outlets enu¬ 
merated above. These findings are correlated with data from wider sources, which are exclusive 
with' Variety .The positions resulting'from these findings denote the OVERALL IMPACT de¬ 
veloped from the ratio of points scored, two ways in the case of talent (coin machines, retail 
disks ) and three ways in the case of tunes C coin machines, retail disks and retail sheet music), 

TALENT 

POSITIONS 


This 

Last 



Week 

Week 

ARTIST AND LABEL 

TUNE 

1 

1 

DANNY & JUNIORS (ABC-Par) . 


2 

4 

SILHOUETTES (Ember)... 


3 


ELVIS PRESLEY (Vicjpr) 

Oh Juliet 

4 

2 

McGUIRe SISTERS (Coral) _... 

........ Sugartimef 

5 


CRESCENDOS (Nasco) ....... 

........ Don’tf 

6 

6 

BILLY VAUGHN (Dot) ...., 

(Sail Along Silvery Moonf 
........ J Raunchy! 

7 

3 

RICKY NELSON (Imperial) ...... 

(Stood Upf 

-'{Waitin' Iri Schoolf 

8 

7 

DIAMONDS (Mercury) __ 

... The Strollf 

9 

8 

PAT BOONE (Dot) ......_.,. 

........ April Love* 

io 


PERRY COMO (Victor)___...___ 

Catch A Falling Star* 

POSITIONS 
This Last 

TUNES 


Week 

Week. 

TUNE 

PUBLISHER 

1 

2 

fAT THE HOP .... 


2 

3 

fSUGARTIME .. 

..... Nor-Va-Jak 

? 3 

1 

* APJIL LOVEr—“April Love”._ 

............;.......... i.. Feist 

4 

6 

fGETA JOB.... 


5 

5 

*SyUL ALONG SILVERY MOON 

Joy 

6 

4 

♦ALL THE WAY— “Joker Is Wild”-F 


7 f 


fOH JULIE.... 


8 

8 

fRAUNCHY .. 


9 


*CATCH A'FALLING STAR_ 

.;.. Marvin 

10 

9 

fSTROLL.... 

. •• Meridian 



(*ASCAP fBMI 

F-Films) 



BOMClub 


Continued from page, 33 ^ 

the 200,000 marker, with applica¬ 
tions still flowing in by the bagful. 

Response to the BOM. offer, a $35 
set for $4, is understood to have 
been the biggest in ROM’s history, 
exceeding any of the reactions to 
the expensive book dividends. In 
the short period of existence, the 
Victor-BOM operation already has 
become the 1 * biggest classical club 
in existence. Figures on Colum¬ 
bia’s LP disk club, covering every- 


2 New Record Labels on the Way... 


(For High Class Stuff) 

and 

HOP RECORDS 

(For Stuff That Sells) 

These labels are owned by fat Ballard, and 
are for the presentation of his own songs. 

Suite MO, 1650 Broadway, New York 19 


thing .from longhair to . jazz, have 
been a closely guarded trade, se¬ 
cret, but that it has been clicking 
is guaranteed. 

. Victor execs look forward to a 
membership of 506,000 in the club 
once the figures become stabilized. 
With book club operations report¬ 
ing a very high percentage of sub¬ 
scriber-fulfillment of their end of 
the bargain, that means that sev¬ 
eral hundred thousand customers 
will be buying at least six classical 
LPs, at $4:98 each, over the next 
year. 

While the clubs are appealing 
mostly to armchair buyers via ex¬ 
tensive consumer advertising, disk 
retailers are also cashing in on this 
phase 6f the disk boom. With re¬ 
tailers getting 20% on each sale 
made . by - club subscribers which 
they sign Up/^some dealers have 
been conducting vigorous cam¬ 
paigns in behalf of the clubs. One 
out-of-town dealer signed up over 
1,000 ihembers to the Victor-BOM 
clubr- 


Jocks, Jukes 

= Continued from page 54 — 

conventional calypso item not 
calculated to revive this trend. 

Lenny Perna (Chancellor): 

‘LOVE IS A WONDERFUL 
THING” (Debmar*);, a bouncing 
ballad with a lyric that doesn’t 
stray from the cliches, is brightly 
projected by Lenny Perna’s vocal 
and choral backing. “LET’S TRY 
AGAIN” (Rambedt) is. par for the 
rock ’n* roll course. 

Mel Tillis (Columbia): “TEEN 
AGE . WEDDING” (Cedarwoodt), 
which is nothing more than the 
title implies, is sold With a neat 
rockabilly vocal. “LONELY 
STREET” (Peert) is a tear-jerking 
ballad in the sarnie idiom. 

Marty Wyler Quartet (Planet X): 
* CHALYPSO. NO. 8” (Jamat), a 
jumping instrumental, could earn 


sound. “TEMPTATION” (Rob- 
some spins due to the frantic 
bins*), the oldie, is set in the 
current “stroll” tempo and. the kids 
will spin this side for dancing; 

+ ASCAP. t BMI. 




> EXTENDED PLAY DISKS 

Will Glahe Orch: “Beer Garden 
Musik” (London). The click of 
“Lichtensteiner Polka” has cued 
this followup by Germany’s Will 
Glahe’s accordion orch. This set 
of instrumentals includes one 
standard, “TaVern In The Town,” 
plus such items as “Hot Pretzels,” 
“Drinking Song” and “One Two 
Drink Up.” 

“The Kids (RCA Victor). This 
is entirely a juve set,, from the 
delivery to the target point. The 
songs run the rock ’n‘ roll gamut 
of uptempo material and although 
only four items are included, the 
monotonous character is flagrant. 
“Elvis and Me,” “So. Shy,” “Please 
Don’t Nag” : and “Juke Box Is 
Broken.” 


a wonderful 
seasonal song 

STYNE AND CAHN'S 



cahn 

MUSIC 

COMPANY 


AUDITIONING , . 

for male Vocal fri Sojn* exp. 
1^24. Willing to work Hard. 
Knowledge of guitar req. Can of- 
for groat malarial. Ideas, and op* 
pprtuniry for record contract. 
Phone: UL 3-7603. Bklyn. 


★ * kkkkkk ★★★★ kkkkk irk k k k kk k kk kkk k,k 

d* 
d» 
* 

QUARTETTE * 

Featuring PAUL DESMOND I 

12 WEEK WORLD TOUR * 

Starting Feb. 0 In LONDON to be Followed by Other Cities In GREAT I 
BRITAIN, GERMANY. HOLLAND, BELGIUM. SCANDANAVIA, I 
POLAND, INDIA and the NEAR EAST J 

Columbia Recording Artists * 


[—ASSOCIATED BOOKING CORPORATION- 

JOE GLASER, Pres. 

745 Fifth Ave. 203 N. Wabash Ave. 407 Lincoln Rd. «61f Sunset Blvd 
New York 22. N.Y. Chicago. III. Miami Beach, Fla. H'wOod 44, Calif. 
Phene: Phone: Phene: Phan- 

PLaia *-4405 CEntral 4-9451 JEffarson 0-0383 OLyMpla 24940 » 






























Wednesday, February 5, 1958 






f h 


i 


T/L 




* f * 


•« ••• 


* / » 
• / » 


IN 1 HAT 


ff 


corm 


«*» Y-V M.rror . ^ 

'The Bi 9 P ta ' 

d ,ran9«n'* BU ,n " 


r ■ danton walker 

' Now York Daily. News 

"Himber's 'IN THAT HAT' a wi 
ner on Coral." 


ROBERT SYLVESTER 

New York Daily Nows 

"Richard Himber' records 'IN 
THAT HAT' and 'TODAY' are 
best sellers." 

H.** 

* M.'»' f,,vp t R«‘° rd 

V?0f^z 


* ,C *KtNNt 
‘ W Mirror 

,,N THAT HAT' 


° '«"»€ flit." 


I'SSSSSSP^ 


I «n Current Release: 

«MI« 

“YOU’RE Hi B#W' 
“T0H16HT’ 


Record Prom of I BUDDY BASCH 

Press Representative: BILL CON LAN 


























62 


VAUIIEVILUS 


PSSrWFt 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


Deauville s Romance With Casanova 
And Leonidoff Off; Fla. Spot Takes 
Heavy Loss, Eyes ( 01d Familiar Acts 


By LARY SOLLOWAY 
Miami Beach, Feb. 4. 

First attempt by a plush new 
hotel to launch a “big production” 
idea to meet the competition of 
established rivals with a name 
policy, ended in dismal failure last 
week when the 600-room Deauville. 
announced shutdown of its Casa¬ 
nova Room and end of the Leoh 
Leonidoff revue installed there. 
The cafe is now being' redone to 
make it more appropriate for a 
straight act policy, if and when the 
operators are able to pact top tal¬ 
ent which they feel is now needed 
to bring the spot into the nitdty 
contention this season. 

Estimated loss taken by the 
Deauville runs well into a six fig¬ 
ure. Leonidoff had re-worked the 
original plans for the room, and 
installed a flyer-stage (another first 
for hotels); hydraulically operated 
side balconies,, steam and steel 
curtains, and other advanced elec¬ 
tronic devices that ran* into heavy 
tabs. The orch was placed in a 
comer of the layout, 20 or more 
feet from the stage, necessitating 
sacrifice of a substantial portion of. 
table locations and cutting down 
on the original o.ver-600 capacity. 
Additibn of backstage crews and 
special lighting men added to the 
production budget. Thus, where 
management had sought to cut 
down on the. sky-high payoffs 
needed for name attractions, they 
found their weekly costs soaring 
into the high brackets they had 
originally sought to avoid. 

Nothing to ‘Sell* 

Adding to the flop. Was lack of 
any outstanding act or novelty 
that might have brought them in 
via the word-of-mouth route, an 
important biz-puller factor in. this 
area. The costuming was original 
and colorful, but was just a dress- 
up of an odd assortment of talent 
that did not jell into a payoff 
whole. The result was mote suit¬ 
able to a film presentation house 
than a high-tab cafe. 

Following redesign of the stage- 
(Continued on page 68) 


Chris Folcker, Swedish 
Mery Impresario, in U.S. 
On Name Talent Safari 

The Beras Restaurant, Stock¬ 
holm, one of the largest niteries 
in Europe, has just about run . out 
of European headliners and is now 
foraging for names in the U.S. 
Chris Folcker, manager of the spot, 
is currently in New York, eyeing 
acts as well as preferring offers to 
names, and will start a cross coun¬ 
try tour in search of suitable acts. 
Following a stay in New York, 
Folcker will start ogling perform¬ 
ers in Miami, thence to New Or¬ 
leans, Dallas, Hollywood, Chicago 
and back to New "York. He has 
hopes of getting a sizable lineup 
before returning to Europe. 

Folcker. is looking primarily for 
acts on the way up and one that 
can build in Sweden, It doesn’t 
necessarily hatfe to be a name, but 
one with a name potential. He feels 
that, with proper advertising and 
exploitation, a good performer can 
be built up to name status for- his 
purposes, Folcker : has had some 
similar experience in that direction. 
When cafe entertainment became 
legal in Sweden in 1955, he bought 
Patachou, unknown in his environs, 
and in short order became an at¬ 
traction in that part of the world. 
She has since played, several. en¬ 
gagements at the Berns. Bulk of 
his headliners have been from 
France, but that’s only coincident¬ 
al, he says, since language is no 
barrier in the cafe, and an act 
singing in any language can be¬ 
come a hit. He pointed to Amalia 
(Continued on page. 68) 


Marie McDonald Sues 
Fairmont, S.F., for 150G 

San Francisco, Feb; 4. 

Singer Marie McDonald sued 
Ben Swig’s Fairmont Hotel for 
$150,000 in. Superior Court last 
week (3D, claiming injuries she 
suffered opening night of her fourr 
week engagement at the hotel's 
Venetian Room have made it im¬ 
possible for her to fulfill $35,000 
worth • of contracts in th U. S. and 
abroad. 

Suit filed by lawyer Lou Ashe 
claims she took a tumble onstage, 
damaging her body and 'legs, and 
causing a-vein inflammation and 
other injuries not yet diagnosed. 
Suit maintains management failed 
to provide a “reasonable safe 
place” for her act, that accident .oc¬ 
curred opening night during her 
second show. 

(Miss McDonald had been; pain¬ 
fully burned by spilling hot tea 
on herself a couple of hours be¬ 
fore opening.) 

‘Capades’ Wham 


New Haven, Feb. 4: 
‘Ice Capades” pulled record fig¬ 
ures for its 10-performance, seVen- 
day stand at the Arena here last 
week, (23-29). A good advance 
quickly built to SRQ when word 
of show’s merit got around.: Crowd 
pull totalled close to 37,000 which 
meant, at $4.80 top, a gross of 
$407,000, smash biz. 

Ice show tour is ahead of 1956-57 
season to date, with a sensational 
$500,000 take in Boston being the 
b.o, high spot so far. 

New on the route this year is 
Milwaukee, yet to bn played (April 
14-20), while St. Paul has been 
axed froiff the list. Unit finds road 
nut (transportation, housing, etc.) 
considerably upped this year, but 
increased business is offsetting that 
wallop.. 

Cast topper Ronnie Robertson 
missed final two show's via a pulled 
tendon. Nate WaUey, quondam 
skating act turned company man¬ 
ager, still handling latter assign¬ 
ment. 


‘Sveng&li Act’ No Aid 
To B.O. in Vancouver 


Vancouver, Feb, 4. 

A boniface doubling in hypno¬ 
tism might well have an edge on 
other bistro bossmen. When Ma- 
combo’s operator Bill McGonigal 
caught Greek singer Jitnmy Melas, 
lately here, showing a nervous 
tendency to sharp his high notes, 
he whammed his act and re-im¬ 
posed perfect pitching—relieving 
his orch’s anguished ears at the 
same time. Sequel is, backstoppers 
are happy while Melas swears 
those highs are coming out flat. 

McGonigal’s hypnotic powers— 
he's, a practitioner here—are no 
hypo to his hospice’s midweek 
wickets, however, and biz is slow, 
as with town’s other clubs. Week¬ 
ends are active. 


Buenos; 1st Tour 
Of Sticks in Arg. 

.Buenos Aires, Jan. 28. * 

Here for the first time since 
1951, “Holiday on Ice,” opened at 
the Luna Park Stadium after a 
24-hour postponement due to a 
chief engineer breaking a leg. 
This delayed setting up the tank, 
while a replacement was flown 
down from the U. S. Fortunately, 
the incidence of accidents is much 
less than might be expected in 
shows of this kind. 

-.. The company crossed to South 
America by boat from South Africa 
in November, and has since played 
Brazil and Montevideo, Uruguay. 
A flood of gimmicks were encoun-. 
tered in Porto Alegre, the tank 
being held up by frontier guards, 
necessitating another being flown 
in by plane from the U. S., while 
the company hung around inactive. 
Then, as might be . expected to 
happen when an outdoor date is 
played, the rain poured down for 
days. Altogether Porto Alegre 
cost promoter Victor Sturdivant 
around .$.12,500. Business was also 
(Continued on page 68) 


Weather Raps -Holiday’ 

-Louisville, Feb. 4, 
“Holiday Oh Ice,” which closed 
a week's engagement with two 
shows Sunday (2) at Jefferson 
County Armory, was down about 
15%; from last year in attendance 
and gross. The take in 1957 was 
over $100,000. 

Three days of cold, rainy weath¬ 
er, snow and icy streets are blamed 
for this slump at the wickets. 
Show received excellent reviews 
here. 


Variety Fields Attention Focussed On 
AGVA Board Meet Next Tues. (11); 


m 


Palace, Buffalo, Into Pix; 
Burlesquery Since.1925 

Buffalo, Feb. .4. 

The Palace, which has presented 
burlesque continuously here since 
1925, is scrapping stageshows in¬ 
definitely and will revert to indie 
first-run novelty picture policy. 

Under management of Dewey 
Michaels, house has been a long¬ 
standing hurley spot operating on 
a . year-round^ basis and catering 
largely to Canadian and upper New 
York State patronage. Spot has al¬ 
ways been something of a show biz 
anomaly, heaviest business being 
registered regularly during sum¬ 
mer months; Recent upping of 
price of stage talent by the Ameri¬ 
can Guild of Variety Artists, with 
no corresponding rise in patronage, 
has reportedly led to burlesque 
demise and change to flicker policy. 


Entratter Named 
Prexy of Sands 

Jack Entratter, a major partner 
and producer of the Sands Hotel, 
Las Vegas, has been elected presi¬ 
dent of the inn, succeeding the 
late Jake. Freedman. Carl Cohen, 
also, a shareholder, was named 
veepee. 

Entratter originally set up the 
hotel and was its first general 
manager and producer. Last year 
he relinquished the management, 
chores to Archie Loveland, who 
moved over from the nearby El 
Rancho, to devote his major atten¬ 
tion to production of the shows. 
He’s now helming the. entire 
operation. 


Nags Win for Neb. 

Omaha,-Feb.. 4. 

Nebraska State Fair Board’s 1957 
financial report last week via secre¬ 
tary Edwin Schultz revealed that 
the horserace pari-mutuels once 
again kept the exposition in the 
black 

Total receipts for all activities 
of the fair, including the mutuels, 
rentals and fair tickets, were 
$734,535, against expenses of 
$706,930. Schultz estimated that 
the 15-day horse program netted 
around $136,000. 


County Fairs In The TV Age: 
From Bible To ‘Thing In Box 5 


Mrs. Geo. 1 


Mrs. George A. Hamid, wife of 
the head of the GAC-Hamid talent 
agency, is recovering in an Orlan¬ 
do, Fla., hospital from a heart at¬ 
tack suffered two weeks ago in Vir¬ 
ginia. 

Mrs. Hamid is at Orange Memo¬ 
rial Hospital in Orlando. 


By JAMES. A. CONNERS 
Albany, Feb. 4. 

“There will be fairs as long as 
babies are boro and children grow 
up; they' come down to us from 
Biblical times.” So George A. 
Hamid, head of GAC-Bamid, told 
Variety in his suite at the Shera¬ 
ton-Ten Eyck Hotel during, the 
70th annual meeting of the New 
York State Assn, of Agricultural 
Fair Societies, held last week. . 

Television—“that thing in the 
box,” pointing to a set—Is “the 
most significant development in 
the entertainment' field during my 
50 years of trouping, promoting 
and booking,” he said. “The imv 
pact of television has been far 
greater than that of the develop¬ 
ment of radio,'or the arrival of 
the talking motion picture,’’: Hamid 
continued. “Television is with us 
everywhere; we can’t escape it. We. 
must learn to'live with it.” 

There are the things about tv 
which Hamid does not like; its 
overnight creation of stars, without 
the long training and the gradual 
polish which performers and top- 
flights of yesteryear were^required 
to gain; aiid the ballooning of sal¬ 
aries, These objections also apply 
to the music-recordihg field, Hamid 
emphasized. 

However, both media produce 
“names” which can be potent out¬ 
door attractions, hp, cleclared. In 


the case of the recording group, 
the “pull” , period may be short— 
“they are as good as their last 
platter.’’ 

Como & Uncle Sam 
Perry Como would be the big¬ 
gest magnet at fairs, if he were 
available, Hamid said. “We handle 
him, but there is no chance that 
Como will play expositions now,” 
the impresario explained. “There 
is no reason for Perry to -accept 
fair, bookings, his tax situation 
being what . it . is. The same holds 
for several other stars.” 

What about Patti Page? She 
played some fair dates, several 
years ago and might accept two 
or three this season, Hamid said. 

The showman pointed out that 
some stars may: wait to see what 
happens, as summer rolls in and 
moves ahead, as to the general 
economic picture. They naturally 
will be looking for the best possi¬ 
ble terms and certain fair societies 
may hold back them decisions, too, 
on headliners, he observed. 

. Hpmid did assert, without equiv¬ 
ocation, that “Only the ‘A’ stars, 
from television, will be outdoor 
boxoffice clicks this year. The 
’B’ headliners will not mean much. 
Fair patrons are tiring of the 
latter.”, 

. A star whom Hamid had heard 
might play “one or two fairs” is, 
Nat ,Kipg,. £ple-, JHe would hej 


“very big. at the California State 
fair, for instance.” 

Because the number of * A’ stars 
particularly among those who have 
{-not been around fairs for years, 
is relatively small, Hamid stated, 
“Fair societies are now buying 
shows. ' They are not paying so 
much attention. to percentage 
deals.” Hamid considered this a 
healthy sign. 

Johnny Mathis* String 

He plans to book Johhny Mathis, 
a recording star whose salary has 
mushroomed, into four fairs. These 
probably will include Reading, Pa.,. 
Louisville and New York. The 
Everly Bros, will also play fair 
dates as well as the long-estab¬ 
lished Andrew Sisters. 

Wax stars popular with teen¬ 
agers are pretty certain to do 
business outdoors, Hamid opined. 
He did emphasize the fickleness of 
teenage tastes. 

“Three years ago, Johnnie Ray 
was the idol of teenagers,” Hamid 
remarked. “When I played him at 
the Steel Pier in Atlantic City last 
summer, they did not seem to know 
he was there.” 

“Teenagers control, run show 
business today,” observed Hamid 
in a tone that seemed to: balance 
disgust with philosophical accep- 
tansce. He seemed to he indicating, 
without saying so, that, after all, 
-Continued on page 


The national board meeting of 
the American Guild of Variety 
Artists which starts Tuesday (11) 
at the Hotel New Yorker,. N.Y., is 
expected t6 be the most fiery: in 
years. The roster of outside 
speakers—one already scheduled, 
with others seeking an airing- 
are expected to produce enough 
fireworks} to keep the sparks going. 
for' a long time. Much of the 
spotlight will focus national 
administrative secretary Jackie 
Bright, ilia post that 'pays$26,000 
per annum. 

The major part of the fireworks 
shapes up on discussion of the 
settlement of the libel award to 
former eastern regional director 
Dick Jones - against Bright . via 
$20,000 from the AGVA : treasury. 
Although the national board voted 
for the award by mail and reply- 
by collect-telegram poll, several 
board members have since de¬ 
clared that they were not notified 
of the true status of the situation. 

Some had been unaware, because 
cf the language of the resolution 
presented them along with letters 
of explanation, that, the case 
brought by<> Jones against the 
union; national , board members, 
and the Associated Actors and 
Artistes of America had been 
thrown out of court on the ground 
that since the union didn’t approve 
of the libelous publication, it 
wasn’t responsible. Therefore, the. 
court ruled that Bright and his 
immediate predecessor, Jack Ir¬ 
ving, were solely responsible for 
the libel. According to the letter 
accompanying the. referendum, it 
was interpreted by some that sett¬ 
lement Of this matter, plus a pend¬ 
ing injunctive suit (which didn't 
ask monetary damages by Jones) 
for $20,000 would end all claims 
by. Jones against the union and 
tl;e national board, neither of 
which was a litigant In the action. 

There is also expected to be 
some sharp questioning about the 
total, cost of the action, including 
legal fees, which are substantial. 

Some important blasts are ex- 
(Continued on page 68) 


Chi’s Longtime DeLisa 
Throwing in the Towel; 
Launched Negro Talent 

Chicago, Feb. 4. 

Club DeLisa, southSide black- 
and-tan nitery which incubated 
some well-known talent along the 
Way, calls it quits after its fourth 
and final show Feb. 16. It has been 
in continuous operation since 1933, 
when the four DeLisa brothers— 
Michael, Louis, James and John— 
launched it with the repeal of Pro¬ 
hibition, 

Deaths- of Michael, a year, ago, 
and Louis last Jan. 2 are given as 
the reason for shuttering. A spokes¬ 
man for the club said it was “too 
much to handle” for the surviving 
brothers. However, persistent re¬ 
ports had it that the nitery’s books 
had been showing too much red 
ink. 

Besides its revues, which in¬ 
cluded a line and the Red Saunders 
orch, DeLisa was noted here in re¬ 
cent years for its gaudy Monday 
morning breakfasts, which followed 
the last Sunday show and usually 
ran for hours. 

Among the better known cafe 
names to have been started by the 
DeLisa are •Billy Eckstine (circa 
1938), Lurlean Hunter, mimi# 
George Kirby, and Lonnie Sattin. 

Spot’s capacity is 1,000, with 
policy of three shows nightly and 
a iourth on Saturday and Sunday. 

Harris’ Scot Ice Prowl 

Glasgow, Feb. 4. 

John H. Harris, prexy of “Ice 
Capades,” planed in here last week 
to eye performers for his U. S. and 
Canada treks. He is mulling, a 
“Salute to Scotland” production 
number featuring Scot pipers and 
dancers. 

Harris, after auditions at local 
ice rink, said: “British girl skaters 
have the happy knack of being 
both hard workers and good to loot 
atnu-thfe-ieeJ'*,*.. 



Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


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64 


vaubevhab 


KAatiETr 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


AGVA Adjourns Case Vs. Lamonte 
To Give Atty. Leeway for Defense 


The case of the executive board ♦- 
of the American Guild of Variety 
Artists, against dancer Victor La- 
nionte has been adjourned to a la¬ 
ter date. Lamonte had been 
charged with... making derogatory 
statements about the administra¬ 
tion on a number of occasions, un¬ 
der the general heading of "con¬ 
duct. unbecoming a member.” Date 
for the new hearing hasn’t been 
set. 

Several instances of accusations 
against members of the adminis¬ 
tration had been cited. At one 
point, it was believed that the 
board would merely censure La¬ 
monte as his punishment and bar 
him from attending membership 
meets for a designated, period. 
However, Lamonte- refused this 
settlement. At the behest of his 
attorney, Alfred Lyons, the hear¬ 
ing was adjourned to a later date 
so that an adequate (defense could 
be prepared. 

Members of the executive com- 

iittee who heard the case were 
Irving Grossman, who acted as 
chairman; Joe Smith, Charlie Dale* 
Alan Walker, Frank Ross, A1 
Tucker and Cy Reeves. National 
administrative secretary Jackie 
Bright presided at the hearing un¬ 
til a chairman was elected. 

Issue is still a hot potato inas-. 
much as it involves the right of 
the. membership to criticize the 
administration in or out .of the ^or¬ 
ganization.! The administration 
contends that it has the machinery 
to air all grievances that members 
may have, alleging that it is ille¬ 
gal for members to go to the trade 
press particularly to air any com¬ 
plaints. Many members claim that 
the trade press is the only means 
of achieving corrective action. 

Vancouver Cave's 


Sons of the Ould Sod 
Prefer Auld Lang Syne 

Glasgow, Feb. 4. 

Robert Wilson, Scot singer,: is 
planning a summer trek of one- 
nighters through Ireland, opening 
in the northern counties and work¬ 
ing over the'border into Eire. Unit 
will perform from Sunday 'night 
to Friday, with Saturdays Off, 

According to Wilson, top favor¬ 
ite for years, the last thing an 
Irish audience wants is an Irish 
song. Every one of his numbers 
must -be. Scottish. He has occa¬ 
sionally tried an English ballad 
number* but exits to polite rather 
than enthusiastic mitting. 

New San Juan Inn 
Sprees on Names 

Hotels in Puerto Rico are con¬ 
tinuing their attempt to bring more, 
nanies to the island,; Entry of the 
Intercontinental Hotel at San Juan 
has apparently engendered a rival¬ 
ry with the long established Car- 
ibe-Hilton. iThd Caribe has now 
booked Gloria DeHaven for two 
weeks starting Feb. 21, following 
her current stand at the Eden Roc, 
Miami Beach. The Intercontinen¬ 
tal is dickering for Yma Sumac, 
with no deal setyet. Tony Martin 
started there last week.. 

, It’s the first time in the history 
of the island that there has been 
a booking rivalry. The Caribe- 
Hilton generally got perforpaers to 
come down for the holiday aspect 
of the trip. Salary for whoever 
took the trek was along moderate 
lines since the general rule for 
weekdays was One show nightly. 
The niteries in Puerto Rico gen¬ 
erally concentrate oh native talent 
and bands, and thus rarely bring 
in latent from the mainland. 


Hub Mayfair Relights 

Boston, Feb. 4. 

The Mayfair nitery reopened 
last week after a refurbishing, job 
in which the bar, previously re¬ 
moved, was put back in the center 
of the dinirig floor. 

NeW billing for the club is "May- 
fair Music Bar” and policy is con¬ 
tinuous entertainment. The bill 
for current week is Sabah, Oriental 
terp; Joe Sherriff, emcee; Cedrone 
& Mitchell, and a five-girl line. 


Minneapolis, Feb. 4. 

. City officials are studying a new 
plan for a $7,000,000 expansion of 
Municipal Auditorium into a cam¬ 
pus type structure 1 to include, 
among other improvements a 3,500- 
seat theatre. Plan also provides 
for increase in exhibit space from 
72,000 to 172,000 feet for trade- 
shows and conventions. The main 
floor arena With its stage would 
Seat 14,000 against 10,000 at pres¬ 
ent. 

A. drive already has been started 
for enactment of a hotel room tax 
to help finance project. Impetus 
may. result from fact that the Ly¬ 
ceum theatre, housing legit here, 
is being converted into an evan¬ 
gelistic' tabernacled 


Vancouver, Feb. 4. 

Isy Walters^ now fit after recent 
cardiac siege to concentrate on 
floorshow side of Cave activity, has 
set new policy of a top-name act 
a month. Son Richard Walters re¬ 
mains boniface. 

Billy Daniels’ six frames from 
Feb. 10 will be new dears teeoff. 
Walters hopes to hypo longtime 
saggy boxoffice by pacting the 
Mills Bros, for two Weeks from 
March 28. A1 Hibbler is tabbed 
for April 7, Jimmy Rodgers for a 
June fortnight. Guy' Mitchell is 
slated for late summer, with dick¬ 
ering on others. 


James Roosevelt 3 Others Front 


in 


Crew Cuts’ Phimister Out 
Of Act on Mother’s Death 

Regina, Sask., Feb. 4, 
Marsh Phimister, m.c. with the 
Crew Cuts, cancelled his appear¬ 
ance with the group in Yorkton, 
Sask., and flew home to Winnipeg 
because of the death of his mother. 
Word was received just before 
show time. The date was the last 
on a Western Canadian tour. 

Last November a Crew Cuts tour 
was cancelled in Regina, the sec¬ 
ond date, when tenor Pat Barrett’s 
father died. Barrett went on with 
the showv in. Regina and then 
planed to Toronto. 

Phimister’s mother had been a 
performer and Was the wife of an 
entertainer. 


Vancouver's Lush 


PAUL ANKAR&R DRAWS 
10,000 IN HONOLULU 2 

Honolulu, Feb, 4, 
Rock ’n’ foil unit headed by Paul 
Anka, Jodie Sands arid Jerry Lee 
Lewis drew 10,000. customers to 
Civic Auditorium for tWo perform¬ 
ances last Monday (27). House was 
scaled from $1.50 to $3.50, putting 
the promotion into the tallcoin. 

. Ralph Yempuku and Earl Finch 
promoted the venture, which in¬ 
volved only a one-day stopover for 
the Australia-bound entertainers. 
One of the acts, the Crickets, had 


Havana Hilton Now Set 
To Open March 19, Bnt 
On Partial Operation 

Havana, Feb.. 4. 

The opening of the Havana Hil¬ 
ton, originally slated for last year* 
is now set for March 19. The inn, 
built with funds supplied by labor 
unions and leased to the Hilton 
chain for operation, will open only 
partially, however, in order to meet 
the. target date. Instead of preem- 
ing all of its 630 rooms, it starts 
operations with 200 rooms. Work 
will be done bn the remainder, 
while hotel is in action. 

The hotel’s preem has been 
delayed because of reportedly 
financial difficulties of the build¬ 
ers. Actually, the Riviera and 
Capri hotels, both built by U. S. 
interests, started construction long 
after the Hilton hospice, but were 
completed and are now in full oper¬ 
ation. The 150-room Deauville, 
along the Malecon, will also open 
before the-Hilton. 


aside for acts—"That’s just from, 
now until fall.” 


Booker said there’s $70,000 se^-appeared on the Ed Sullivan^tv 
■*'■■■ - 1 show in New York only the night 

before, doing some marathon tra¬ 
veling rto catch up with rest of 
troupe: 

Presumably . Lwith tongue-in- 
cheek, Honolulu Star- Bulletin 

assigned its longhair fine arts 
critic to. review the show. "We 
Were just listening attentively and 
most of the time that, availed us 
little,” the critic observed. 
Reviewer credited young Anka 
with "‘the most straight-forward 
and least pretentious style” and 
said “he . aspired more than the 
others to some refinements of 
modulation and . crescendo.” 

Promoters plan another “Show 
of Stars” next month. 


Snyder’s Water Tronpe 
To Sail for Brussels 

Boston, Feb, 4, 

Sam Snyder’s Water Follies, 50- 
person Boston-based troupe which 
has been set as sole grandstand 
unit at the Brussels World’s Fair, 
sails aboard the Liberte March 26. 
The show opens there April 17. 

Water Follies, which toured Aus¬ 
tralia the past two seasons, will re¬ 
turn to the U,. S. this summer to 
play 10 dates, Snyder said, Audi¬ 
tioning ^f swimmers, singers , and 
ballet femmes is going on here 
currently. 

Snyder’s wet & dry unit will be 
presented in Brussels at a 16-acre 
amusement park in a 5,000-seat 
stadium especially built for it. 


Mbnt’l Nitery May Fold 


Second Bogart Memorial 
At Waidorf Easter Sun. 


Hugh O’Brian’s Tat’ P.A. 

Chicago, Feb. 4. 

Hugh*0’Brian (tv’s Wyatt Earp) 
is set as entertainment headliner 
at the Houston Fat Stock Show, 
Feb. 19 to March 2. He’s elated for 
19 performances over the 12-day 
run. 

Actor will be on “Big Record” 
tv show Feb. 12 to pitch his current 
disk album. 


Vancouver, Feb. 4. 

Most, colorful Centenary gim¬ 
mick Slated for this area this sum¬ 
mer is still “on Ice,” Johnny Les¬ 
ter, lately batoneer at Pacific- 
Athletic and Press Clubs, has 
nabbed the paddlewheeler MV 
"Klondike” which will leave the 
Yukon for hereabouts at spring 
thaw* Lester already has cleared 
his vessel for mobile' operation in 
Vancouver harbor as “a classy sea¬ 
food spot, club, motel, marina— 
it’s big enough for anything,” he 
said. 

Paddlewheeler is 210 feet, is 
stateroomed plushly for 50. "has 
one room 160 feet long and right 
for a night club. Lots of space.” 

MV "Klondike” was white ele¬ 
phant of Yukon-White Pass Rail¬ 
road, Intended for excursions after, 
a stated $100,000; refit of fairly re¬ 
cent date. 


+ Congressmen James Roosevelt 
of California and Herbert Zelenko 
of New York will be associated in 
an ambitious San Juan, Puerto 
Rico, 50-acre amusement-gambling 
casino-hotel-motel operation being 
primed under the name of Carolina 
Corp. Roosevelt would be hoard 
chairman, Zelenko a director; Al¬ 
bert P. Dicker, Washington inves¬ 
tor, president; arid Harry Stein¬ 
berg, also Washington, secretary- 
treasurer. Latter is one of the 
largest liquor dealers in the U. S. 
.and former owner of Shirley 
'Foods, just absorbed by the Grand 
Union food chai ? 

Ziggy Lane, singer-composer and 
head of Carousel Records, will , 
supervise public relations, scout 
entertainment potentials and pro¬ 
duce the shows. Vet Las Vegas and 
Riviera (New Jersey) producer Bill 
Miller may also be associated as a 
producer. 

Carolina Corp. takes its name 
from an area in the San Juan sec¬ 
tor but the resort itself has not 
yet been billed. Plans call for a 
500-room hotel, a motel, a casino, 
rides and games, amusement park, 
paVillion, iceskating, swimming 
pool and playground area, and an 
outdoor dancefloor and stage. 

Resort will be situated on. the 
beachfront adjoining the new air¬ 
port; Property has been leased for 
\ years and plans call for com¬ 
pletion within 12rl4 months from 
now. It is primed for year-round, 
all-weather operation and intended 
for owner-management, not sub- < 
leasing. 


CHI’S MIKE FRITZEL 
LEFT 793G ESTATE 

Chicago, Feb. 4. 

Mike Fritzel, onetime co-owner 
of the Chez Paree who died last 
Sept. 28 at age 75, left an estate 
before taxes of $793,552, Cook 
County .Clerk’s office disclosed. At 
the time of his death, Fritzel oper¬ 
ated a class Loop eatery bearing 
his name. . 

Federal estate and Illinois in¬ 
heritance taxes will slice $96,286 
off the estate, with another $40,- 
500 going for specific bequests. 
Hau the estate is in trust for the 
widow, and the remainder, in three 
equal parts, goes to a brother and 
two sisters. 


Montreal Nitenes 0.0. Grim Future 
As Police Put Teeth Into Curfew 


Second annual luncheon & fash¬ 
ion show in memory of Humphrey 
Bogart will be held at the. YValdorf- 
Astoria Hotel, N, YY Easter Sun¬ 
day (April 6), under chairmanship 
of Mrs; Owen R. Cheatham. (Mrs, 
, ,, * . J Robert F. Wagner, wife of N. Y.’s 

Reports from Montreal are that ; ma y 0 r, is honorary chairman.) 
the St. Germain-des-Pres nitery is", p au iine Trigere will present her 
closing- due to “difficulties” be- j summer couture collection as a 
tween the spot’s owner and the lo- ; feature of the dance-entertainment 
cal. musicians’ union. I benefit. 

The night club, dormant fbr • The first memorial show, held 
nearly four’years, was reopened • last Easter Sunday, raised more 
late last year by Jacques Normand j than $11,000 for-the Damon Run- 
and Gerald Tasse and Was an im-jyon Cancer Fund; That amount.is 
mediate click in the return bout, j included in the more than $11,000,- 
Most recent acts in the 150-seater ; 000 allocated to date in 782 grants 
included comedian-raconteur Jean and 398 fellowships in 230 insti- 
Rigaux, boniface-satirist Normand tutions in the 48 states, the Dis¬ 
and singe r-comedienhe Clemence j trict of Columbia and 18 foreign 
des Rochers. 1 countries. 


By MAX NEWTON I 

Montreal, Feb. 4. 

Montreal’s lucrative riitery in¬ 
dustry, always the fall guy when 
reformers and such get on the 
morality bandwagon, .took perhaps 
its sharpest blow last week when 
the Quebec Liquor Police opened 
up. on them, on the subject of clos¬ 
ing hours.. 

Visiting the clubs during the 
week, police, officers told the own¬ 
ers that as of next Sunday (9) the 
long-ignored; curfew - bill be put 
back into effect and enforced. 
"There will be no exceptions,” po¬ 
lice said. 

For all but. a very few saloons 
(mainly the uptown hotel rooms), 
this will mean a drastic cutback 
in overall returns and probably 
force a few of the questionable 
spots. Which only existed oil the 
“after hours” business, but of 
operation,. 

The hours for the sale of liquor, 
which have been bn the hooks for 
many years arid known to everyone 
concerned, stipulate a 2 a.m. clos¬ 
ing during the;week for the sale of 
liquor, midnight* on Saturday and 
only beer arid wine on Sunday be¬ 


tween the hours of 1 and 9 p.m., 
with meals. 

The decision by the provincial 
government, which controls all 
liquor licenses, follows on the heels 
of several public outbursts by 
church authorities against the num¬ 
ber of liquor-selling establish¬ 
ments, their "demoralizing” effect 
on the people of Montreal and the 
crackdown by Montreal police ori 
the peelers in the local strip 
parlors. 

. Before the Sunday deadline, cafe 
operators hope to have meetings 
with the Quebec Liquor Commis¬ 
sion and come to some agreement 
other than the crippling edict now 
before them. Some would even 
like to know what constitutes i 
"meal” other than the "rubber 1 
sandwich which was used for so 
many years in other regimes to get 
around the food-with-drink law. 

Hardest hit ori the circuit will 
be the rooms using big.shows and 
if the taws are enforced the big 
budget operations will be cut and 
entertainment formats radically Al¬ 
tered. Any tightening by the club 
owners will he felt in many direc¬ 
tions; performers, musicians,, wait¬ 
ers, busboys and. the many sup^ 
pliers—all will be affected. 


As Prez of EMA 


Nat Abramson, head of WOE 
Artist Bureau, has resigned as 
president of the N. Y. Entertain¬ 
ment Managers Assn, and has be¬ 
come its president-emeritus. He will 
continue to. serve on the board. As* 
eeriding to the presidency is Mas 
Wolf, of the Star Entertainment 
Bureau! Jack Segal and Carlton 
Hub are veepees, Tom Kelly, secre¬ 
tary; Leonard Jacobson, recording 
secretary; and Gordon Skea is 
treasurer. 

Reason for Abramson’s stepping 
out of that office is his desire to 
reduce his load of extra-office ac¬ 
tivities. Re recently ga.ve up the 
chairmanship of the AGVA Wel¬ 
fare Trust Fund for that reason. 
Abramson was EMA topper fop 
20 years. 


TV This Is Your Life’ 

At Scot Intermission 

Edinburgh, Jan. 28. 

Audience at the King’s Theatre 
here, watching the Howard & 
Wyndham pantomime, "Babes in 
the Wood,” had a surprise at the 
interval. Eamonri Andrews, _ tv 
personality, strode on to the stage, 
stopped the show, and announced 
that BBC-television was taking 
over. 

Louie Ramsay, playing Principal 
Girl in the show, was then fea¬ 
tured in "This Is Your Life,” trans¬ 
mitted live over all BBC networks. 
Some years ago she was thought 
to: be completely paralyzed, and was 
reintroduced to many of the peo¬ 
ple who helped her to* make a 
comeback as a professional dancer. 

After the telecast, the second 
half of the pantomime, starring 
Jiminy Logan, carried on in its 
normal way. 


‘Somebody Up There’ 

Didn’t Tell Rocky 

Omaha, Feb. 4. 

Ex : heavy champ Rocky Marci¬ 
ano; here last week for a swing 
over the mashed-potato circuit, re¬ 
lated a previously-unheard Rocky 
Graziario-Harry Truman tale. 

- It happened when Truman was 
Veep and, after watching a fight 
in New York City asked to meet 
Graziano. Truman was taken back- 
stage and introduced by title. 

"Gee,” exclaimed Graziano, "I 
never thought I’d get to meet the 
vicepresident of Madison Square 
Garden.”'' 



5, 1958 


P'fijtnaTf 





shed 

nde^urned °* aY ' 

^"uory *ti BosW" 


Opening FEBRUARY 10th 

Empire Room 

WALDORF-ASTORIA 

New York 


Persontit Management: MURRAY KANE 




66 


VAVlEmLB 


To Find a Non-Gobbledygoob Way 
Of Defining ‘Giveaway’: Reno Game 


By MARK CURTIS 

Reno, Feb. 4. 

Club operators in Reno are in a 
brouhaha on sO-called “giveaway” 
practices by some Of the casinos. 
Everything from new cars and trips 
around the world to television sets, 
mink stoles and radios'are being 
offered in drawings by the clubs. 
Patrons are usually eligible for the 
drawings by playing at the tables 
and one-armed bandits. * 

Objection has come from some 
Of the hotels and smaller clubs 
which claim that the giveaways 
w ere hurting business. Their argu¬ 
ment is that “freeloading” was 
hurting regular gaming. 

The city government thus, found 
itself in the ...middle Of the con¬ 
troversy when it was asked to 
legislate against it. However, edi¬ 
torials and general feeling seemed 
to be that the city would be inter¬ 
fering with “free enterprise.” 
Mayor Len Harris said the-problem 
was one for the casinos to decide 
among themselves. 

Speaking in defense of the give¬ 
away, some of the proponents 
pointed out that it was simply 
"merchandising in gambling,” They 
felt that itwas UP to individual 
gaming operators as to how they, 
wanted to run their business. 

There, seems to be a great diver¬ 
gence of Opinion as to what con¬ 
stitutes a giveaway in the first 
place. Since a giveaway is con¬ 
sidered an extra inducement for 
the customer to patronize a club, 
it was pointed , out that big shows 
in theatre restaurants, lavish buf¬ 
fets. five o’clock hors d'oeuvres and 
cocktail parties all are a form of 
giveaway. None of tfiese things, 
the proponents of giveaways say. 
are money-making propositions. A 
big show was not paid for by the 
diners in a theatre restaurant, 
they argued. The tab w’as paid by 
gambling. It therefore serves as. 
a “come on” to gamblers just like 
a mink stole in a smaller w ; ay. The 
same with five o’clock free hors 
d’oeuvres which become a practice 
among hotels. 

However, these things are on a 
higher plane than outright draw¬ 
ings, objectors said. Big shows and 
low priced food were good for the 
business. 

It was also noted that while some 
places choose to-Close down par¬ 
tially during the winter, the big¬ 


gest practitioners of the giveaway 
feel that by this extra promotion 
they are able to maintain their 
full payrolls. 

There is a general consensus, 
though, that the giveaway which] 
encourages travel into Reno from l 
outlying areas like San Francisco 
and Sacramento is good. This is 
being done In the form of tours j 
by bus and air to the clubs. The 
individual clubs either refund the/ 
price of the transportation to the. 
passengers, or give them a meal, 
cocktails and gambling chips on 
their arrival. .. 

Reno clubs recently got together 
and paid the tv line charges for 
the 49er football games which 
were blacked out in San Francisco. 
The promotion paid off in approx¬ 
imately 750 persons visiting Reno 
to see the game. <- 

There is a Las Vegas ordinance 
prohibiting giveaways, but it came 
about through an agreement among 
club owners themselves.. It does 
not exist on the strip, however, 
where some circles contend that 
the $50,000 weekly fioorshows are 
the . biggest giveaway in history. 

While the controversy continues, 
there probably won’t be any im¬ 
mediate solution. The problem 
remains—to define “giveaway.” If 
a giveaway is anything which is 
offered to the public in addition 
to what they pay for, then most 
of Nevada operates the . give¬ 
away principle. The 1 difference 
seems to be in what is an outright 
“giveaway,” advertised and pro¬ 
moted as such, arid that: which is 
disguised by putting a token price 
on it. 

Dick Pawn’s British Bow 

Dick Shawn has been signed for 
his first London date. He goes into 
the Palladium April 7. 

While abroad, Shawn is expected 
do do several tv dates and may 
tour thb provinces after his Lon¬ 
don stand. 

Joni James Subs Gibbs 

Houston, Feb. 4. 

Joni James. replaced ailing 
Georgia Gibbs at, the fourth arinual 
Houston National Auto -Show, v 

Miss Gibbs was taken ill sudden¬ 
ly with a respiratory infection and 
was under a doctors’ care In New 
York. 




Copa Pacts Sam Cooke 

$am . Cooke, who has estab¬ 
lished nimself on the disk best¬ 
seller lists via . his Keen pressings, 
has been signed for his first mid¬ 
town N. Y. nitery. He goes into 
the Copacabana'for three weeks 
starting March 6. 

Cooke, precedes this date with a 
tour on an arena show for Irving 
Feld. This starts Feb. 7 in Co¬ 
lumbus, hitting the midwest, 
southwest and south, and winds 
up in Richinond Feb. 23. 

Manhattan Staffer 
v Latin for Cugat 

The N.Y. Hotel Statler’s Cafe 
Rouge is being given the Lathi 
touch for the Xavier Cugat band 
date which opens in the room Fri¬ 
day night (7). Waiters will be 
garbed in soutb-of-the-border cos¬ 
tumes while the menu will have 
dishes to match. The room is slated 
to- be filled with celebrities open¬ 
ing night. 

Abbe Lang, Cugat’s wife, is not 
playing this date because of her 
role in the legit musical, “Oh 
Captain,” now at the Alvin Thea¬ 
tre, N. Y. ^ . 

A1 Hibbler O’seas Trek 

A1 Hibbler.has been set.for his 
first tour of Europe beginning late 
in March. Trek will run three 
months arid will include 164 con¬ 
certs. 

Following the European jaunt,; 
Hibbler will head for a tour of; 
Australia. Meantime, Decca Rec¬ 
ords is recording Hibbler for a re¬ 
lease.backlog while he’s away. 

Jimmie Maddin’s 1-Niters 

Hollywood, Feb. 4. 
r Jimmie Maddin, local rock ’n’ 
roll singet-saxaphonist, has teamed 
up with Trans-World Attractions, 
headed by KLAC dee jay Earl Mc¬ 
Daniel, Harry Golub and Mike 
KasiriO, for a series of. one-niters 
on the Coast. 

LaVern Baker has been set for 
the star spot on show which Mad¬ 
din wRI also, emcee in addition to 
backstopping chores. 

OMAHA UPS CIRCUS FEE 

_ Omaha, Feb. 4. 

The trouble-beset circus field 
took another jab here last week 
When the city council hiked the 
fee to the city to $25. 
s In the past, circuses playing here 
never paid more than $3 to the 
city in fees.' 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


Agents Talk Recession, Ask Some 
Cafes to Book Intermediate Acts 


Glenn MiUer-McKudey 
A 6,000 Draw in Glasgow 

Glasgow, Jan. 28. 

Approximately 6,000 customers 
packed the Ode on Theatre at two 
performances to hear Ray McKin¬ 
ley’s Glenn Miller orch. Top price 
was $1.80. Harold Davisori pre¬ 
sented the U.S. outfit at the Rank 
cinema. 

Harry Hawthorne, young drum¬ 
mer in the outfit, fought a severe 
attack of flu, but insisted on carry¬ 
ing on with his part. He had to 
retire from time to time to wrap 
himself in a coat in the wings. 
McKinley took over. 

Manageinent paid tribute to 
Hawthorne’s pluck in carrying on. 
A medico stood by. 

Top Conn. Ballroom 

Hit by Bridge Snafu 

Bridgeport, Feb. 4. 

Pleasure Beach Park, amuse¬ 
ment resort owned and operated 
by the city of Bridgeport, may not 
open next summer because of the 
need of rebuilding the bridge lead¬ 
ing to the park. 

The closing of Pleasure Beach 
would mean the elimination of a 
large ainusement operation as well 
as the darkening of one of South¬ 
ern New England’s largest ball¬ 
rooms, where outstanding name 
bands have one-nighted for many 


. FOR THE "TIME" OF YOUR "LIFE" 

Time Magazine: “Manhattan’s first successful night club song 
Jan. 6, 1958 and satire revue in fifteen years.” 

Life Magazine: “The liveliest night club show in the nation.” 
Feb. 3, 1958 

"TAKE FIVE" 

at the Downstairs Room 

May 1 render unto Caesar, the billing that should be theirs:— 
Unbound gratitude to star Ronny Graham and stalwart 
supporter Ellen Hanley, Ceil Cabot, Gerry Matthews# 
Jenny Lou Law and standby Jeait Arnold. 

Also plural pianists Stan Keen and Gordon Connell. 

Also to unbilled lyricist of “Pro Musica Antique" Steven 
Vinaver, the Bard of Bard College. 

Also to Max Adrian and John Heawood, the stagers; Dorothy Ross, press 
relati Leonard Roserifeld, Irving Haber, the keeper of the keys; 
George Curley, cast monitor; and the peripatetic Sruce Kirby. 

Sincere thanks to all. 

^nlini Monk 

Who Receives Nightly at The Downstairs 
51st Street & 6th Avenue 
At 9:30 and Midnight 
Except oh the Sabbath 


Saranac Lake 

By Happy Benway 
Saranac Lake, Feb. 4. 

Joseph McCoy, manager of 
Loew’s Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, who 
graduated here in class of ’56, in 
for anriual X-ray checkup to rate 
100%. Ditto John (IATSE) Ander¬ 
son who made the grade the same 
year- 

William (IATSE) Groff, Lan¬ 
caster, Pa., boothman, shot into 
the general hospital for a major 
operation and is back at the Will 
Rogers recuperating. 

Lloyd T. Smith, manager Pres¬ 
cott Drive-In Theatre/ in from 
Glenwood, Ark., for the general 
o.o. and rest period. 

Evelyn Ellis, the original Bess 
of the “Porgy & Bess,” emergen- 
cied into the general hospital for a 
major operation and after a two- 
week ordeal is back at the-Will 
Rogers speeding to recovery. 

Amelia McDonough, former 
cashier Amherst (Mass.) Theatre, 
who left feere 15 months ago with 
an all-clear, is back here with 
Virus flu. 

This is the 60th year of the 
Saranac Lake Winter Carnivals, 
Like its predecessors, it will fea¬ 
ture a variety of entertainment and 
sports, culminating in the Carnival 
Parade and the storming of the Ice 
Palace. The big show starts with 
an American Legion comedy, “Is 
Zat So,” Feb. 5. On night of the 
7 th Happy Ben way’s Rotary Min¬ 
strels will entertain, Paul Harvey, 
American Broadcasting Network 
commentator, will be Kiriged and 
Denise Darcel Queened. 

| Write to those who are ill. 


Songstress in Auto Accident 

Rehoboth, Mass., Feb. 4. 

Pinned under a rear wheel of 
her car on a steep embankment 
after she wa$ hurled from it when 
it somersaulted 5ft. feet through the 
air, Mary O’Brien, nitery singer, 
escaped without major - injuries, 
according to officials of Taunton’s 
Morton Hospital. 

The singer, returning horiie from 
a nightclub engagement i in the 
Brockton area, , told police her car 
went into a skid when forced onto 
a soft shoulder by another car that 
sped off. " 


- Talent agencies have been dis¬ 
couraging the buying of names in 
many nitery situations and trying, 
instead, to push to the fore the 
intermediate talent that they term 
“entertainment.” For example^ 
during the cold spell in Miami 
Beach arid Havana they been urg¬ 
ing the inns still lining up riames 
to try to get along without such 
high salaried acts. 

In Havana the operators are be¬ 
ing encouraged to go for the mod¬ 
erate-salaried talents, Even agency 
reps are saying that it’s better, to 
provide an entertainment complete¬ 
ly different than that presented in 
nearby Miami Beach, At this*point, 
the Havana operators seem to be 
taking the advice to heart, inas¬ 
much as stress on naines has fallen 
considerably. The Havana Jiotels 
are accenting production to a. 
greater extent, and trying to pro¬ 
vide a kind of show that features 
native talents. Most. Havana hotels 
are now buying ori a show-to-shpw 
basis. 

The agencies are.going along on. 
this tack for many reasons. They 
say that many nitery situations 
cannot support the salary structure 
of names and it is to a cafe’s ad¬ 
vantage to try to get along without 
them. Again, they must try to build 
other headliners, and this circula¬ 
tion could be useful in the building 
process. 

It is. becoming increasingly nec¬ 
essary to gej the operators to con¬ 
serve their resources. Not all names 
are drawing up the value of the 
salaries being paid them. It is too 
much of a. hassle, in many in¬ 
stances, to get the toppers out on 
the road. They complain of taxes, 
and frequently ask for stipulations 
that the operator cannot riieet. The 
perceriteries are hesitating to send 
certain names out on repeat stands 
because some have worn out their 
pull in certain cities, it is claimed. 

Kahler Reins Omaha Show 

Omaha. Feb. 4. 

Nick Kahler; Minneapolis pro¬ 
moter, has been-named producer 
of this year’s Omaha Sports, Vaca¬ 
tion & Boat Show, booked for the 
l City Aiiditbrium March 4-9. 

I KEN BARRY I 



February 17 

ZEPHYR ROOM 

Cleveland, Ohio 
Thants, MARTY CAINE 
Mgt a Stu & Will Weber, New York 


OLASON s FUN-MASTER 

PROFESSIONAL 
COMEDY MATERIAL 
for all theatricals: 

“We Service the Stars"!' 

Big Clean-Oat Special on All 
35 Gag Files for Only $15 
P lus $1.00 fe»tag e 
e 3 Parody Books, Per Bk. ... (10 e 
• *BI*eh° u t B °°ks, Per Bk. .. $25 • 

e Minstrel Budget ... $25 e 

How to Master -the Ceremonies 

ki ~ A $3 p#r Copv 

No C.O.D's —.... "Always Open" 

BILLY GLASON 

200 W. 54th St., N.Y.C., 1 * Circle 7-11 TO 
(WE TEACH EMCEEING and COMEDY) 
(Let a Real Professional Train You) 


YVONNE MORAY 

SADDLE AND SIRLOIN 

Bakersfield, Calif. 
ASSOCIATED BOOKING CORP. 

JOE GLASER, Pres. 


The DEEP RIVER BOYS 

Starring HARRY DOUGLASS 
_ 9th Inf motio nal Tour 

EL MOROCCO ^ A 

MONTREAL |gp . 

Direction* WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY 

Part. Mgra ED KlRKEBY ** f'*.? 


JlliRiaimiiisiin.nii.il 


UliliUJliill 












Wednesday, February 5,: 1958 


UStitEff 


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Xropiea"®’ 1 ^ 

las V«6M. J*»; s ; n8 

3 nettyP«se^*k^«?d d 4 

g§£Ssg££l' 

$5&$ P®WM ‘S?/U h« 

®"«a^er Bon p. tc ?. e « ea fiS 



FLETCHER 


"One off the most refreshing 'new' bets to 
come down the pike in ages is the Jane Kean- 
Ron Fletcher bit off elegance now starring at 
tin Tropieana." LAS VEGAS SUN 


"It Is a refreshingly different kind off enter¬ 
tainment—the kind that makes you laugh." 

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL 


Eden Roc, Miami Beach 

"One of the most exciting new night club 

appearances in $how business." 

MIAMI HERALD 

"Jane Kean has a production that can head¬ 
line any class supper club in the country." 

MIAMI DAILY NEWS 


Currently Appearing 


Las Vegas 


• Special Material 

ELI BASSE 
DANNY SHAPIRO 
JULE STYNE 

• Staged by 

MR. FLETCRER 



Direction: SAM BRAMSON 
WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY 



68 


VA1JBEV1LLE 




Wednesday, Febrtiary_ 5^ 1958 


County Fairs in the TV Age 


; Continued from page 62 ; 


he is in business to serve the pub¬ 
lic and to satisfy its tastes. 

Speaking of soaring , salaries, 
Hamid declared: “In my book, 
Sarah Bernhardt was the greatest 
of all. When she played the 
Palace Theatre in New York *The 
Divine Sarah’ was paid $5,000 a 
week, and everybody talked about 
it. Today, Blitz St Blotzen can 
suddenly be in that salary cate¬ 
gory.” Even allowing for inflation- 
and the decreased value of the dol¬ 
lar Hamid indicated that some Of 
the present weekly. stipends are 
“fantastic.” 

Industrial Shows Growing 

He stressed that there; are two 
types of outdoor expositions to¬ 
day, the traditional agricultural 
fairs and the industrial shows. The 
latter are growing in importance. 

Hal Sands, child , actor in silent 
films, later a musical comedy 
dancer and actor (in his last Broad¬ 
way appearance, he portrayed 
Marks in “Topsy and Eva,” star¬ 
ring the Duncan Sisters)> and now 
a GAC-Hamid producer who ac¬ 
companied Hamid in Albany, be¬ 
lieved that Dody Goodman of “To¬ 
night”. (NBC-TV) would be a good 
fair attraction—probably ..working 
with a straightman. Jack Paar, on 
whose show Miss Goodman ap¬ 
pears, -should be an exposition 
click, likewise. Sands wvs quick 
to note that Paar would not be 
available, except “possibly around 
the New York area, Saturday or 
Sunday night.” 

Gisele MacKenzie, too. possesses 
fair potentials, in Sands’ opinion. 
Frank Sinatra? Sure, he would 
register smash, but what exposi¬ 
tion can hope to book him? 

There appeared to be general 
agreement at the annual meeting 
that Tennessee Ernie Ford is a ; 
solid turnstiler. The Music Corp. 
of America represented by O. L. 
Stacy of the Chicago branch and 
Ed Rubin of the New York office, 
has set the tv personality for fair 
dates in Minnesota, Arkansas and 
elsewhere. Ford is expected to 
fill more such engagements this 
year than last. 

Another television name whom 
MCA is booking outdoors, and ex¬ 
tensively. is Herb Shriner. Shriner, 
incidentally, is playing ah iiidoor.| 
fair date in March—the: Greater 
^Connecticut Fair, in Hartford. 

MCA’s Tair Weatherites’ 

Among other MCA clients who 
may play one or more fair dates 
are Guy. Lombardo, Polly Bergen, 
Ted Lewis (single), Dennis Day. 
Orchestras include Ray Anthony’s, 
(the late) Jimmy Dorsey’s and 
Ralph Flanagan’s. Preston Foster, 
is a film-syndicated star around 
whom an outdoor show has been 
built. 

A syndicated star, much in evi¬ 
dence during the aggie fairs’ con¬ 
fab and a storyteller on the show 
presented at the concluding ban¬ 
quet—with Hamid as emcee for the 
steenth time—was Led Carrillo. 


Carrillo claimed that **53,000,000” 
people so far have viewed the 
“Cisco Kid” video program on 
which he plays Pancho, and “a 
proportionate number in England 
and in the Pan-American coun¬ 
tries.” Carrillp made fair appear¬ 
ances last year and will make oth¬ 
ers this season—where the terms 
are right. 

Colorfully garbed, the veteran 
actor visited Governor Ayerell Har- 
riman at the State Capitol, to dis¬ 
cuss mutual park problems—Car¬ 
rillo is a park commissioner for the 
Instate of California. 

Duncan Renaldo, in the title 
role of ‘‘Cisco Kid,’’ and his horse 
was another syndicated feature 
ballyhooed at the convention. 


Agencies at Pa. Powwow 
Allentown, Fa., Feb. 4. 

Nine booking agencies gave pre¬ 
views of some of the acts they are 
offering' to fairs next summer, at 
the ahnuaTparley here of the Penn¬ 
sylvania State Assn, of County 
Fairs, held Jan. 29 to 31. 

Participating agencies were 
GAC-Hamid, Willard Alexander, 
B. Ward Beam, Barnes & Car^ 
ruthers, Klein’s Attractions, Cooke" 
& Rose, Superior Booking; Frank 
Wirth, and Music Corp. of America. 
Fourteen acts were shown. They 
included performers from tv, stage, 
screen, vaude and night clubs. 
Among those on the bill were Jim¬ 
my Conlin (Charlie the waiter of 
Duffy’s Tavern), Johnny Maddox, 
Marlin Rainwater, Norman & 
Deande, Deance, Bogino Troupe, 
Great Gallaso, Poodle Symphony, 
Ted Smiley St Miller, Elkins Sis¬ 
ters, Shannon & Main, Susan 
Brooks, and Randy BroVn. 

Fair officials at the parley in¬ 
dicated they plan to book a large 
number of Vaude acts, this year. 
Edward Clark, Clearfield, Pa., was 
reelected president of the state 
group. 


Currently 

FLAMINGO 

HOTEL 

Lai Vegas, N«v. 




• EPIC RECORDS 

I* Business Mgr. 

* " DON SEAT 


‘Holiday’SR0 

Continued from page 62 

weak in Montevideo, the next 
stop, where the citizens are plagued 
by economic problems Which curb 
entertainment-spending. 

In B. Aires the company is 
booked to play four weeks and has 
been consistently sold out, ; having 
grossed $46,000 in the first 13 per¬ 
formances of the ID opening days. 

Between skaters, ..technicians, 
managers, the show involves trans¬ 
porting around 122 persons, 70 of 
whom take active part in the show. 
Then there’s the 70-ton tank, 14 
kilos of piping, looked after by 
three engineers and 12 technicians; 
This year the tank has been en¬ 
larged from: the previous 12x18 
metres to 20x43, which cuts down 
the Luna Park seating capacity of 
20,000; to 7,500. Top price is $2. 

For a “first" in Argentina, the 
show is due to play the provinces, 
taking in Mendoza (in an outdoor 
stadium) on the Chilean-bound 
trip. In Chile, it is booked four 
weeks at the Copolican, then Lima 
and back up the west coast to 
Ecuador and Colombia. Venezuela 
is not Included this trip, because, 
sinde Sonia Henie’s big hit there, 
only a comparable name would 
satisfy the Venezuelans. 


Folcker Safari 

Continued from page 42 — 

Rodrigues, who sings in Portu¬ 
guese, as another example of the 
fact that talent more than lanr 
guage is the prime factor. Ameri¬ 
cans that have played at the Berns 
include Eartha Kitt, Nicholas Bros., 
June Richmond, Georgie Tapps 
along with featured turns such as 
Rey & Gomez, Cabot St Dresden, 
The Colstons, Meribeth Old, Wal¬ 



1952 EDITION COTTON CLUB REVUE 

Starring 

CAB CALLOWAY 

Seventh Week 

COTTON CLUB, Miami Beaeh 

Mgt. BILL MITTLER, 1419 Broadway, Now Yo* 


ter Dare Wahl St Emmett Oldfield, 

and others; 

However, with this trip, Folcker 
breaks precedent on behalf of the 
Berns. Generally, American^ acts 
have been bought while touring 
Europe. This time, Folcker has 
come to seek them out in their na r 
tive habitat It means, of course, 
that expenses are increased con¬ 
siderably inasmuch as price he 
now shells out will have to reflect 
transportation abroad. However, he 
feels the need of some fresh faces 
as well as top names for . his spot. 

According to Folcker; he is in a 
unique position as far as talent is 
concerned. The median age of his 
customers, he says, is around 43, 
and thus he doesn’t go for; jazz, un¬ 
less it is the traditional type that 
his customers have known for a 
long time. Calypso,, he says, is one 
of the big items everywhere in Eu¬ 
rope, and while rock ’n’ roll is a big 
seller, he can ignore the whole de¬ 
velopment. 

The Berns Restaurant is across 
the street from the China Theatre, 
one of *the top variety houses in 
Sweden, thus he has a handy show¬ 
case to spot acts. 

Folcker tentatively plans, to be 
in the U.S. until about Feb. 25. 


Deauville Loss 

Continued from page 62 .SSSSS 
band settings, the Deauville’s 
owners will bring in a top name 
if they can get any of the seyeral 
they are; looking for. Money, now, 
is.no bbject, the aim being for re- 
intro of the room as a must-see for 
tourists. 

Bids have been Out for jerry 
Lewis (who again seems to have 
priced himself out of the: picture 
with a $40,000 asking fee); Donald 
O’Connor is another being sought. 
To date, there has been nothing 
firmed‘up and the room will re¬ 
main closed; the smaller Musketeer 
Lounge, featuring the Redcaps & 
Damita Jo plus nightly changes 
in acts,, is sole entertainment spot 
in the newery. Attempt to set a 
musicqmedy idea, -with tab ver¬ 
sions of the Broadway hits, came 
to a difference-in-dough end, 

CariiHon Rings Late 

Oddly enough, the neighboring 
Carillon Hotel, tlie Deauville’s 
rival for title of “this year’s ho- 
tel,” didn’t have its Club Siam, a 
750 plus seater ready in time to 
enter the January competition 
and suffer the off-biz Woes of the*] 
rest of the area’s clubs. The An¬ 
drews Sisters T preemed the room 
Friday (31), just as the Casanova 
closing announcement was decided 
upon. Rest nf the town’s niteries 
are looking toward increased pa¬ 
tronage with the annual February 
pickup, now that consistently sun¬ 
ny weather seems to have arrived, 
along with the weather bureau’s 
long-range prediction of a warm, 
above-normal temperature month. 


AGVA Board Meet 

Continued from page 62 - ■ - 

pected to come from Jbnes, who 
as part of the settlement was given 
the right to speak to- the national 
board for a period not to. exceed 
one.hour, Jones is expected to- 
dwell: on many aspects of the court j 
pase, and make accusations of 
errors of omission, and commission 
by the administration, during his 
Tenure as eastern regional director. 

Others who will seek permission 
to speak to the hoard are Bob 
Marshall, a critic pf the adminis¬ 
tration and homebased vin New. 
York, and Dave Byron, a Chicago 
hypnotist who said last week that 
he was coming to New York at 
his town expense to determine the 
state of affairs in the.union. Should 
the hoard vote to hear either of 
these; members, more fireworks are 
certain to result. 

In. addition, the board is re¬ 
ported inclined to follow more 
Closely the matter of administrative 
costs. The Jones trial, for example, 
revealed that Irving and Bright 
agreed to pay $400 to a tradepaper 
reporter (not on Variety) to write 
the articles that, were subsequently 
ruled libelous. The writer was paid 
$275 for his work, and told that 
the rest would ?*be made up” to 
him. It’s also likely that the- board 
will look into the travel and ex¬ 
pense.. items charged up to the 
union; AGVA’s ’administrative 
costs are. reportedly at a new high. 

•ill V»- "VI f*r. • 


Inside Stuff—Vaude 

Manger Hotels, which recently purchased the De. Witt Clinton in Al¬ 
bany for a reported price of $2,500,000, has named Charles J. Mack 
as manager. Current manager of the Manger Rowe Hotel Yn Grand 
Rapids, Mich., he previously served as personnel manager of the Stat- 
ler-Hilton Hotel, New York', and as executive assistant'manager of the 
. Statler-Hilton in Cleveland. Julius Manger, head of the . Manger, chain 
was to visit Albany with its-chief engineer and'architect to outline re¬ 
novations and improvements, John J. Hyland, who has managed the 
De Witt Chiffon, under Knott ownership, for years, is expected to be¬ 
come manager of a hotel the chain is building at Idewile Airport, New 


Vaiide, Cafe Dates 


New York 

Joey Bishop lined up for the 
Americana, Miami Beach, March 
12 . . Jimmy Clark checked in at 

the William Morris . Agency. His 
“& Co.” musicomedy turn booked 
for Chandiere, Ottawa, March 10 
and Ei Morocco, Montreal, April 5. 

Jack Wallace how at Steuben’s, 
Boston ._ . . Tommy Wonder & 
Margaret Banks with Don Dellair 
repeat at Blinstrub’s, Boston, May 
12 , . “Take Five” at the Down¬ 

stairs Room marks, its 200th per¬ 
formance tonight (Wed.). 

Billy DeWolfe ends fortnight at 
Statler Hilton Hotel, Dallas, tomor¬ 
row (Wed.) and opeps Saturday (8), 
for another two-Weeker at the Pa¬ 
tio, Palm Beach ; . . Comics GAuld 
& Young in Feb. 9 one-niter at 
West Point, followed by El Moroc¬ 
co, Montreal, Feb. 10, for a frame 
and Holiday House, Pittsburgh, 
starting March 10 . . . Bobby Keefe 
played the Stagecoach, Hackensack, 
N. J., Jan. 31 and goes into Safari 
Club, College Point, L. I., next 
Friday (7). 


Chicago 

Charles Chaney into Jane’s 
Hideaway for a fortnight starting 
Jan: 31 . . . Slim Gaillard opens 
at the Cloister Inn Feb. 5 for indef 
stay . . . Ciro Rimac currently 
doing his one-man revue at the 
Embers Hotel, Ft. Wayne . , . Joey 
Bishop kicks off a three-weeker at 
Black Orchid March 30 . . . Lined- 
up for two weeks each by the 
Adolphus in Dallas are Sonny 
Howard (Jan. 30), Lou Nelson 
(March 13), and Sophie Tucker 
(May 22) ; . . Ted Lewis, current 
at N.Y.’s Old Romanian, goes into 
the Roosevelt Hotel, New Orleans, 
April 3 for four rounds. Same 
hotel gets Dr. Arthur Ellen, March 
6 . with Roberta Sherwood booked 
there May 1 for two weeks . . . 
Jerry Murad’s Harmonicats reach 
the Riviera, Cleveland, Feb. 8 for 
a Week, and are set for a pair at 
the Muehlebach in K. C. as of 
March 14 . . . Jaye Bros, launch a 
two-weeker at the Houston Cre¬ 
scendo Feb. 12. 


Hollywood 

Abbey Lincoln goes into Mar¬ 
shall Edson and Mike Garth’s Ye 
Little Club following current Ton! 
Harper-Randy Sparks booking ... 
Dick Contino opens at the Flam¬ 
ingo, Las Vegas, March 20 . 

Hilo Hattie Revue booked for two 
one-nighters. in L.A. next week . . . 
Kay Cee Jones opened singing en¬ 
gagement at Ben Blue’s yesterday 
(Tues.) supplanting Ann Mason .. ; 
Marshall Edson voted into Confer¬ 
ence of Personal Managers . . . 
Mills Bros, return to the Crescen¬ 
do Feb- 20 . . . Gene Norman get¬ 
ting, a $5 minimum during current 
Johnny Mathis booking . . Paul 

Gilbert into the Koko Club, Phoe¬ 
nix, Feb. 16. 


San Francisco 

Big week in Frisco nightlife with 
Mort Sabi opening at* the - lower¬ 
case hungry i and Carol Chahning 
opening at the hilltop Fairmont 
Hotel—she a. real native, he an, 
adopted native . . . Carl Ravazza 
opening tomorrow (Thurs.) at Bim¬ 
bo’s 365 Club . . Patsy Kelly 
opening at Ann’s 440 Club . . . 
Bobby Troup and The Four Preps 
into George Andros’ Fack’s II to¬ 


day (Wed.) . . . Lou Gottlieb held 
over at Purple Onion, which was 
also the starting point for Phylliss 
Differ, now at New York’s Blue' 
Angel . . . Pantomimist Bernard 
Bragg of the Backstage got a nice 
plug out of the Life mag picture- 
story on U. S. nightlife. 


Atlanta 

Henry Grady Hotel’s Paradise 
Room, managed by Lark Bragg, 
opened Monday (3) with new. show 
starring comics Marc Antone and 
Jackie Curtiss, backed up by Robbi 
& Reed Royale, dance duo, plays 
Erv Hinkle band . . Cotton Watts 

& Chick, oldtime minstrel troup¬ 
ers, are providing the change of 
pace at Club Peachtree, where 
Lalin Francis, billed . as “upside 
down exotic,” is starring on same 
bill with two other exotics, Betty 
Dixon and Jo LaSeur, plus Leslie 
Carol, acroterper . . -. Harem Club, 

! where shows change weekly, 
opened , with new bill headlining 
Naja Taramuru, Brazilian screen 
starlet, and featuring The Miam¬ 
ians, Mingo Maynard arid Miriam 
[ Sage Dancers .. . . Exotics Nikki 
Parker and Cookie Cooper share 
top billing. at the Anchorage in 
Clermont Hotel, with - Ray Rey¬ 
nolds Quintet taking care of the 
[music > Arlene Stevens has 
[joined Tommy Ray and Tokye 
( Trio at Domino Lounge in Imperial 
Hotel ; . . Exotics galore feature 
the show at Cloyis Club, including 
Kim Paris, Toni Allen, Sherry De¬ 
light, Jo Turner and Desiree, with 
Johnny Box riding as emcee and 
Ma &. Pa Perkins^ rural comedy 
team, rounding out show . . . Anne 
Bouche, French dancer, being held 
over at Atlanta Biltmore Hotel’s 
Empire Room, where Freddie Mar- 
teff is spotlighted . . . 300-pound 
comedian-pianist Roy Tbpps is an¬ 
other holdover at Zebra Lounge in 
lobby of Howell House . . . Singer 
Doris Angers; Miss Canada of 1957, 
being held over at Leb’s Pigalley. 


Ottawa 

Cindy St Lindy are pacted for 
next stint in the Circus Lounge of- 
the Ottawa House,. Hull, Que. 
Others scheduled to play this room 
include Dorothy Loudon, due Feb. 
20, and Charles Manna, March 3. 
Carol Stevens Is current* 








69 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


Desert Inn, Us Vegas 

Las Vegas, Feb.. 4. 

Jimmy Durante, Skeets Minton, 
Eddie Jackson, Sonny King, Jack 
Roth, Jules Buffano, Borden Twins, 
Sally Davis, Donn Arden Dancers 
(16), Carlton Hayes Orch (14 );$3 
minimum. 

Jimmy Durante* playing the 
role of Jimmy Durante as only he 
can do it, has a mostly-new act in 
the Painted Desert Room, display¬ 
ing-his unique talents to best ad¬ 
vantage. Eddie Jackson and his 
iv.k. strut is back in the act, as. is. 
Sonny King, who replaced the vet 
partner while he was convalescing. 
Singing, clowning King is a fine 
addition, and the trio stirs up fun 
reminiscent of Clayton, Jackson 
and Durante. 

Durante pulls solid •yocks for his 
bits with the dancing girls—One is 
a quick costume-change routine 
called “It’s The Man That Makes 
The Clothes”; and he. gets especi¬ 
ally warm mitting for his song- 
styling on “Young At Heart. ” 
Drummer Jack Roth and pianist 
Jules Buffano are on hand as usual 
to fit neatly into the festivities; 
the hefty Borden Twins and Sally 
Davis are excellent foils for Du¬ 
rante. 

Skeets Minton is featured on 
bill. Ventriloquist shows unusual 
technical skill with various dum¬ 
mies, and most pf the dialog is 
highly laughable. Okay impreshes 
include Rose Murphy, Mario Lanza; 
Billy Eckstine, Vaughn Monroe, 
Jerry Colonna. 

Art Johnson, house emcee-singer, 
is .consistently good, and is backed 
by the Donn Arden Dancers (16) 
and'the Carlton: Hayes ofch (14) in 
an impressive “Tribute To Jerome 
Kern” production numbef. 

Duke. . 


glance, She reflects artistic polish 
and cosmopolitan flourishes gained 
on foreign shores. Also plenty high 
are her application of special . Scot-, 
ings, with Ernest Bragg as piano- 
director, and wardrobe. Discard¬ 
ing a black taffeta coat after an 
intro with “Friendships,” the 
blond looker emphasizes a trim fig¬ 
ure with a red strapless evening 
gown of satin and black lace trim 
and taffeta. . Scores heavily with 
a lengthy “Around the World” 
treatment, making use of toggery 
pieces and lingo of various lands. 
Leaves them real hungry after 25 
minutes. - . 

. Barry, neat appearing and grow¬ 
ing on acquaintance, : unloads yocks 
for most of. his 23-minute monolog, 
sound effects and impressions. 
Highlights are takeoffs, oh God¬ 
frey, Liberace, Churchill and a 
drunk driver. Material is clean 
and unfamiliar. 

Dorben. Dancers sandwich the 
acts with “Funny Face” and “La 
Vie en Rose,”, artistic numbers 
featuring Mary'Jo Leyanna & Don 
Little dance team. Clay Mundey 
holds over as emcee, doubling. on, 
vocals with Mary Bassett, local 
fave. Arthur Lee Simpkins is due 
Feb. 14. ' KbU... 


Sahara, Las Vegas 

Las Vegas, Feb. 4. 

Marlene Dietrich, Kirby Stone 
Four, Amin Bros.,. Dick Summers, 
.Louis Basil Orch (13); production 
numbers, Sonia Shaw, Bill Hitch¬ 
cock; produced by Start Irwin; $3 
minimum. " 


Marlene Dietrich has returned to 
the scene of her original Vegas 
triumph—the Sahara Congo .Room 
-r-and she does it with an elegant 
impact that won her a standing 
ovation from first-nighters. This 
appearance is easily Miss Dietrich’s 
best of several local outings—she 
never looked more handsome; her 
rich, distinctive voice embellishes 
the glamour which has made her a 
living legend;' and the “diamond”- 
studded $25,000 Jean Louis-de¬ 
signed gown she wears is icing on. 
the cake/ Songs include “Look Me 
Over*” 4 ‘You’re, the Cream In My 
Coffee,” "My-Blue Heaven,” “Boys 
In The Backroom,” “Laziest Girl In 
Town,” “Kisses. Sweeter Than 
Wine,” “Johnny,” and ‘Tali Mar¬ 
lene.” A costume change into 
her Wik. white tie & tails brings 
her back for a‘ smooth soft-shbed 
“Sweet Rosie-O’Grady;” a drama¬ 
tic “One For The Road,” , and a 
cleverly-worded “I May Never Go 
Home,” from her new film, “Wit¬ 
ness For thh Prosecution.” For an 
encore she" does the i “Falling In 
Love Again” trademark. Conduc¬ 
tor-arranger Burt Bacharach’s deft 
handling of the Louis Basil orch 
(13) adds class to a.classy act. 

The Kirby Stone Four and the 
acrobatic Amin Bros, serve as. neat 
balances to the Stan Irwin pack¬ 
age. Stone’s quartet gets solid 
yocks with its zany dissection of 
Lazy River,” “British Blues” and 
“Birth of the Blues,” plus celeb im- 
preshes coated with very funny 
dialog. 

■ Two . original production num¬ 
bers by composer-arranger Bill 
Hitchcock and choreographer Sonia 
.Shaw are lively and lavish , in the 
Ziegfeld league: Duke. 


Beverly Hills, Newport 

Newport, Ky., Jan. 31. 

Jane Morgan (with Ernest 
Bragg), Dave . Barry, Dorothy 
Dorben Dancers (10) (with Mary 
Jo Leyanna <£ Don Little), Clay 
Mundey, Mary Fasseti, Gardner 
Benedict Orch (10), Jimmy Wilber 
Trio, Larry Vincent; $3 minimum, 
$4 Sat. 


Greater Cincy cafe society is 
treated to smart cabaret fare over 
a fast 60-minute route in the cur- 
rent two-framer at northern Ken¬ 
tucky s-swank Beverly Hills. Jane 
Morgan, newcomer here, an in¬ 
stant click songstress, and Daye 
f- 30 * 5 * distinctively easy and sure- 
ii re \dnster, have class support, 
from the Dorothy Dorben dancing 
rfjPy^bes, returning after 19 
months during which the Donn Ar- 
oen Dancers reigned superbly. 
Gardner : Benedict’s location crew 
ls tbe dependable, music"backer. . 

Miss Morgan,; known -hereabouts, 
mostly, further Kapp recording of 
fascination,” ’is sturinldg if fifst- 


LeCupidon, X. Y. 

Gretchen Wyler, Howard Beder, 
Cuiuh Quartet, Ish. Ugarte Trio; 
$3.50 minimum. 


Gretchen Wyier has- tailored 
overalls and will travel. The singer- 
dancer, who’s been piling/up legit 
credits the last few years,- is mak¬ 
ing a delayed return to the nitery 
field with her current stand at this 
eastside bistro: She appeared at 
the spot briefly two years ago arid 
up to now that’s been the extent 
of her cafe career: 

This time, Miss Wyler intends 
to take on other club; bookings. 
That is, as long as there’s nothing 
cooking for her. in legit. She’s, 
got a good act; in which the previ¬ 
ously-mentioned overalls figure , as 
her basic eye-catching .costume. 
Her stint, running 25 minutes, is 
substantially different, from her 
prior turn at the room in that less 
special material, is used. 

But; as before, she registers ef¬ 
fectively with her energetic de¬ 
livery, both. in the song and dance 
departments. The tunes are most¬ 
ly in the bouncy, vein, several 
culled from shows, iff which she’s 
appeared. These include numbers 
from “Damn Yankees,” “Silk 
Stockings” and a terp bit froth 
"Rumple.” Her repertoire takes 
ih . other familiar items, including 
a “Frankie & Johnny” offering and 
a sock rendition of “Mack the 
Black.” 

The act, with. musical arrange¬ 
ments by . Elliot Lawrence, Was 
staged by Charles Hughes and put 
together by comedian Paul Lynde. 
The only standout shortcoming at 
this club is the lack .of room for 
Miss • Wyler to stretch her shapely 
legs. 

Miss Wyler gets neat backing 
from the. Ish Ugarte Trio, while the 
Cutun Quartet, with.. songstress 
Helen Noel, gives Out with the 
Latino beat for the predominantly 
terp-beat patrons. Howard Beder, 
the show’s host, does okay on a 
couple of opening , numbers. : Host¬ 
ing, for the. room is Robert, former¬ 
ly w.k.maitred’hotel of the de¬ 
funct Versailles, N. Y.:. .Jess. 


Hotel Muehlebacli, K. C. 

Kansas City, Jan. 3l. 

: Carmen, d’Antonio, T.he Vogues 
(3 ), Ken Harris Orch with. Loraine 
Daly; cover: 

The Muehlebach has a couple of 
newcomers for the current fort¬ 
night in the Terrace Grill, and the 
show has to be tabbed as one of 
the lighter entries to play the 
room. Some potential entertain¬ 
ment accrues from the combo of 
dancer Carmen d’Antbnip . and the 
singing Vogues, but it is only part¬ 
ly realized ih the half-hour. 

Miss d’Antonib reveals consider¬ 
able of . her chassis in a beauteous 
and brief costume as she cavorts in 
a trio Of dances, one as a lady bull¬ 
fighter, another a Spanish heel- 
stomper and the third a boogie bit.; 
All have some bright moments, but 
as a whole the turn, was somewhat 
unjelled at show caught. ; 

The Vogues—Diana Hale, Bob 
Bush and Jeff Gyle—put their 
hearts into warbling, a varied se- 
l lection of songs, ranging from the 
folksong to Elvis and including 
sorffe Originals and some standards. 
Possibly their best are “Sweet Old 
Fashioned Girl” and “Stairway. To 
the Stars,” but Several rough spots 
show through and entry has but a 
modest impact. They also; ; offer 
“Alabama” as they do it on.the 
Key label, but it drew but mild re- 

SP Next in Will be jGiriny Sims, to 
open Feb, I4, with’the Cml Sands 
orch taking over same date from, 
'the Ken. Harris eftriv. Quin. 


Hotel Pinza, N. 

Genevieve, Ted Straeter Orch; 
Mark:Monte Continentals; $3 covet. 

Prepare , a little list. Genevieve 
has got these ass^s: a unique per¬ 
sonality, Asaucy manner, ingratia¬ 
tion, and apparent interiob calm. 
She held: the floor at the dinner 
show opening night (29) for 40-odd 
minutes, building steadily and de¬ 
parting unconditionally, a hit. 

This qualifies her as one of the 
small band of- pert singles for the 
small luxury dine-dance circuit. If 
analysis is wanted, she probably 
makes it on mime. She uses'her 
lips, eyes, head, body and pauses 
with rare .skill: She is definitely 
superior to her material, which 
has few or no punchlines and more 
the. suggestion than the reality of 
satire. . . . 

There. is: talk of France but it 
sounds like Quebec. No matter. 
She exploits her troubles with the 
English lingo for giggles. It’s been 
done before by many Frenchy 
soubrettes. It’s all relaxed with 
Genevieve and that’s what makes 
it work. Her garni ways, in a 
gold lame tight-fit sheath, her 
muddy, plastered, Sagan coiff all 
go With the style; 
w Flirtatious but not - coy, blue- 
toned but not jazzy, as. much ac¬ 
tress as. singer- diverting rather 
than highly comical, a dame and 
not a grande dame, Genevieve is a 
performer with what, it takes. If 
she keeps up the good: work, she 
may mature into one of the greats. 
Punch material will be a necessity. 

The usual sturdy support was 
offered by the Ted Straeter, house 
music.. Straeter by now has long 
since developed the: kind of, in¬ 
tuitive collaboration with a per¬ 
sonality that the pit maestro at the 
old Palace used to have. Land. 


Ritz Carlton, Montreal 

Montreal, , jan. 29. ~ 
Fethghda Mantel, ■ Johnny 
Gallant, Paul Notar Trio; $2-$2.50 
cover. 


Now established as a once-a-sea- 
son performer in the attractive 
downstairs cafe of the Ritz Carl- 
to o' Fernanda Mofftel scores as al¬ 
ways. Current offering is quite a 
chahge from the previous efforts; 
the statuesque blonde with the 
throaty pipes who stayed close to 
the mike arid somewhat aloof from 
the ■ ringsiders has given , way to 
someone who offers a more ribald 
songalog and is almost in constant’ 
motiori. The change is good and 
makes for better overall pacing 
during the 35 minutes this chan- 
teuse from Algiers is on the floor. 

Songs are varied and. almost 
evenly divided between. Frerich 
and English. .A few Special mate¬ 
rial. items pick up a fair recep¬ 
tion, but for the most part Miss 
Monte! stays With the faves, giving 
them added impact by her own 
particular interpretations. Al¬ 
though she Wisely stays away from 
any form of audience participation, 
a few personal touches do much, to I 
boost rating of this attractive 
blonde.. 

As per usual, songstress is ele¬ 
gantly gowned , and she gets able 
support from pianist Johnny Gal¬ 
lant and the Paul Notar trio. Miss 
Moritel bririgs business back over 
the average level with solid week¬ 
ends. ^ Newt.' 


Moulin Rouge, L. A. 

. Hollywood, Jan. 31. 
Sammy Davis Jr., Will Mastin, 
Jay" Lawrence, Hal Loman & His. 
Playmates, Eddie O’Neal Orch; 
$5.50 package. 


Hollywood, Jan. 31. 

. It was one of those nights that 
they talk about for along time af¬ 
terward — operiing night for 
Sammy Davis Jr. at the Moulin 
Rouge, his first Hollywood appear¬ 
ance.in three years. It was a top- 
drawer theatrical audience that 
turned out to welcome him, arid 
the pintsized entertainer with the 
king-sized talents showed Why he 
is a performer’s performer as Weil 
as a popular draw. 

Davis sings, tells jokes, ad libs 
with the band and the audience, 
dances; blow's the trumpet, plays 
an electric guitar, does a turn Off 
the tap drums and also has a go. 
at the bongos... It.is possible that 
by doing so many things so very 
well he may nave made it all look 
too easy, - But this is quibbling. 
The simple truth, is that off his 
own he scores a smash hit with a 
huge, overflow: crowd, arid retires; 
exhausted offly after holding the 
Stage almost continuously for .95 
mlnUteS. IBs four-week stand, at 
the Moulin Rouge should, do rec¬ 
ord business for the mammoth 
theatre-restaurant 
. ■. During the remainder of his run, 
Davis will trim his turn to about 
50 mnutes on a two-a-nigh.t basis, 
fitting it into the overall produc¬ 
tion, which funs around 93 
minutes. 

Davis said there was nothing 


NIGHT CLUB REVIEWS 


new in his act and basically this is 
correct. But he has cut down on 
his impersonations, doing complete 
takeoffs only on Sinatra and Pres¬ 
ley. He sings a great deal more 
affd: the act overall now is stamped 
more firmly with the Davis im¬ 
print. It is his pwff act and no 
orie else’s—and it’s ah act that has 
class and, smash. 

Mdrty Stevens conducts the 
Moulin Rouge , barid placed off the 
stage, backing Davis iip. The or¬ 
chestrations are good and the band 
performs them with sharp pre-;, 
cisirin. Will Mastiff is still part of 
the act, spelling: Davis to do an 
ingratiating soft shoe, and Sammy 
Sr. was introed from the audience 
for a taste of his old tap magic. 

Jay Lawrence, held over, scores 
strongly with his comedy routines, 
especially his prizefight bit, Other- 
Iwise the “Pariscope” show is sub¬ 
stantially the same as on the pre-. 

[ vious engagement. A fast and at¬ 
tractive dance trio, Hal Loman & 
His: Playmates (Playmates being 
shapely platinum blondes) is rieW 
and is- helpful in setting up the 
show. Powe. 


Americana, Miami B’cb 

Miami Biachi Feb, 1. 
Betty Hutton with^Herb Lurie, 
Jones Boys & Jerry Fielding, 
Jackie Heller, Lea Martin Orch; 
$3.50r$7.50 minimum . 


For her annual return date here, 
Betty Hutton has moved up beach to 
the Bal Masque of this biggery and 
repeats her previous clicks at other 
locations—but in spades, in this 
normally staid poshery. She turns 
it into a table-tumult setting with 
her projectile-paced act. 

Never one to indulge in the 
subtle approach, the all-out Hutton 
attack , is maintained throughout 
her mostly-new material, her male 
aides setting, the uptempo as she 
unwinds a strong assortment of in¬ 
vents shrewdly tailored to her 
frenetic styles It’s a one-woman 
show iff which she makes entrance 
via a clever bloWn-up screened 
drum. Setting, to start the pounding 
early. Followups are aimed 
straight at the big reaction target 
and she hits with showmanly sure-, 
ness as she knocks : out a howling 
lampoon;—with 'appropriate built- 
lip costUme-^n many-sloped Jayne 
Mansfield and her muscleman hus¬ 
band (one'*of the Jones Boys play¬ 
ing the silent spouse). It’s a howl 
raiser and sets them up for things 
to Come: her “roaring tweffties” tab 
show with flapper-collegiate cos¬ 
tume color-up to brighten the 
hoofery arid vpcalistics. 

. Miss Hutton’s standard “song and, 
dance” routine with assist xrom 
Herb Lurie is another winner. The 
vocals . are more growled and 
howled out than done in melodic 
yeiri but, when asked, she takes to 
a soft torchant or ballad—a la 
Helen Mofgari—ip a femme-sing- 
ers-of-old” runndown, in adroitly 
shaded projection. End result is 
encores payoff for the dynamic 
blonde and her longtime nitery vis- 
a-vis, Herb Lurie. The Jones Boys 
are strong additions with their ex¬ 
pert harmonics and nimble dances. 
Jerry Fieldirig, her batoiieer, is al¬ 
most as frenetic as. his boss while 
setting up the backings, a chore he 
performs admirably. y 

Jackie Heller tees off matters 
with a .fine aud-warmihg brace, of 
tunes* and joins Miss Hutton for 
a let-your-hair-down afterpiece 
that adds, values to the overall pic. 
Due on Feb. 12 are Julius LaRosa 
arid Jean Carroll. Lary. 


Eddys’, 

Kansas City, Jan. 30. 
Andy. Williams, Tony DiPardo 
Orch ill); $1-$1.50 cover. 


Back after only seven months 
since his first stand in Eddys’ 
deluxer, • Andy Williams has it all 
to himself this time and makes it a 
topflight singing show throughout 
45. minutes. This time, too, the 
orch is beefed up from eight to 11, 
with emphasis on the brass section, 
and the show is musically much 
stronger thereby. 

Williams rates as one. of the 
brighter young singers today on the 
strength of his Cadence label plat¬ 
ters and appearances in clubs and 
on tv, and he reaffirms the rating 
on this appearance. He has a. wide 
range of tunes veering from lively 
entries* such as “Just in Time” and 
“I Get a Kick Out of You” to 
Softer ballads such as his new re¬ 
lease, “Are You Sincere?” and 
“Danny Boyi” There’s also a long 
medley of 1957 song hits and his 
established bestsellers, “Canadian 
Sunset,” “Lips of Wine” and “I 
Like Your Kind of Love.” 

He keeps, the whole 45 minutes 
moving with a change of song pace, 
brief bits of chatter arid his genial¬ 
ity, along with his' own special 
brand of pop singing. He’s on 
through Feb. 6, to be followed by 
Somethin’’Smith & The Redheads, 
Qttih. 


Fairmont Hotels S. F. 

San Francisco^ Jan. 30. 
Carol Channing, Ernie Heckscher 
Orch till; $2 cover. 


A jampacked opening-night 
crowd whistled, cheered and 
stamped as Carol Channing abso¬ 
lutely gassed ’em in what must be 
the fastest 50 minutes in show biz. 

Miss Channing comes on like 
gangbusters in her very first num¬ 
ber, “Little Gal from Little Rock,” 
and never lets up. Her songs— 
“Calypso Pete,” the wonderful, 
scat “If,” the lovely* nostalgic “Un- 
t* You’ve Played the Palace” and, 
of course, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s 
Best Friend”—are each gems, 
honed to perfection. 

But her slick comic routines 
overshadow her singing. First 
comes her warm, friendly takeoff 
on Sophie Tucker and then, with 
ascending degrees of rieedling, 
takeoffs on Tallulah Bankhead, 
Judy* Garland and Marlene Diet- 
rich, complete with costume 
changes, props, preening and vastly 
effective use of her elastic mouth 
and huge brown eyes. Finally, 
there are a pair of Imaginary char- 
acters—a silent film star who can’t 
imagine Why her whithling lithp 
hath halted her thcreen career 
after her first talkie, arid a two- 
stepping flapper of the ’20s. These 
are great creations, keep the 
crowd in an uproar and require the 
“Diamonds” song from “Gentle¬ 
men Prefer Blondes” as a getaway 
number. 

. Fine, uninhibited comediennes 
are rare, and this one may be the 
rarest of alJ, .for she has topflight 
material, wonderful timing and 
savvy and, to top it off, is willing 
to work like a horse. The Swigs’ 
Venetian Roof figures for |um* 
away business during, this show’s 
four weeks, Ernie Heckscher orch 
plays a pleasant 10-minute “Okla¬ 
homa” medley to get things rolling. 

Stef. 


Fontainebleau, M. B 9 eh. 

Miami Beach. Jan. 28. 
Ritz Bros., Joanne Gilber 4 , Leo 
Diamond, Murray Schlamm, Sa - 
casas Orch; $4 $7.50. 


The Ritz Bros, are the first big 
b.G. click of the LaRonde’s run of 
winter toppers, their potent pull 
is packing them in despite some 
of the bleakest weather conditions 
thiA resort has ever experienced. 
They’re a cinch to build even more 
in next 10 days of their run, first 
Weekend patronage toting up to 
sellouts for two shows rightly. 

Word of mouth on their new act 
is adding to the heavy biz pull. 
They’ve never worked harder, nor 
ffiore inventively to pile on the 
hdwl build; their 45-minute session 
is a tour de force for t^e guy in 
the middle, Harry, as'he runs 
through a multiple costume change 
series of routines that require 
many comedy character changes, to 
run him thrpugh a gamut of zany 
bits highlighted by his vast fund 
of mugging, yock-raising posturing 
and struts. The freres hit fast and 
hard with a lampoon on adult 
westerns, the tv-gun guys getting 
a thorough—and funny—working 
over. There’s a raffish ruckus in 
their revival meetin’ segment; the 
“Johann Strauss-Ascap” musical 
satire is another big mitt earner 
as is tbe “Don’t holler” routine 
that tops their one retention from 
their book of standards: “Conti¬ 
nental Gentlemen” the burlesque 
of French chansoniers. Insert a 
larger-than-usual serving of their 
as-one, easy-does-it hoofery adds 
to the reaction with end-result 
repeated callbacks, winding them 
intp another ffewie a complete 
Calypso bit that totes up still 
another palm pandemonium, it’s 
unusual to see the normally tough 
La Ronde tablers whistle and yield 
for more—the Ritz brothers get 
them into that-frame, in spades. 
The big click aura spreads fast 

Joanrie Gilbert is always the pert 
young songstress with the person¬ 
ality plus to add to her overall 
solid performance. The slender, 
attractive brunet has been given a 
smartly blended book of specials 
and standards, artfully arranged, 
and staged to her “young Sophisti¬ 
cated” manner. Delivery is strictly 
pro, the know-how belieing her 
youthful, appearance. The plus- 
payoff she gets is earned. 

Leo Diamond is a departure 
from the norm in teeoff acts and 
proves a wise booking. He sets 
things humming with an intri¬ 
guing harmonica set, utilizing 
mouth organs of assorted size and in 
multiple numbers for a showmanly 
stint. With it his technique is far 
above par for the course, the 
compos essayed offbeat and con¬ 
taining the classic as well as the 
pops. Murray Schlamm introes iff 
smooth fashion, while Sacasas and 
hL* orch background a heavily ar¬ 
ranged layout in top style. Due 
'Febi-fip Liberace. * -Lary. 



70 wan (CM1I BEVIKWS 


JsSrieFy 


Vfednesday, February 5, 1958 


Riviera, Lm Vegas 

Las Vegas, Jan, 28, 

Ginger RogersThe Novelties 
(3>,TJie Cavanaughs. (2), Joe Kir-. 
ehen,. Ray Sinatra Orch (ISO; pre¬ 
sented by Sammy Lewis; $3 mini¬ 
mum. 

Ginger Rogers’ Vegas debut dis¬ 
plays the star in a lush, well-staged 
act generously injected with nos¬ 
talgia. She’s backed by ornately 
spectacular Dorothy Dorben pro¬ 
duction numbers, a sock comedy 
act, and a delightful ice skating 
turn which makes for a good 90 
minutes of entertainment. 

Miss Rogers is most attractive, 
and wears gorgeous gowns. Her 
act is at its best when she’s sing¬ 
ing and dancing, and wisely she 
does a lot of it. She does several 
dramatic bits from her hit films, 
getting best audience response 
from “Torn, Dick and Harry and 
“Kitty Foyle” dialog. This seg¬ 
ment could be trimmed for better¬ 
ment of the romp. Warmest mitt- 
ing goes to “The Night Is The Best 
Part of The Day,” “You Can’t Take 
That Away From Me.” and “New 
Fangled Tango” chirps, and “Shall 
We Dance,” .“Day and Night,” 
“Fine Romance,” “Carioca;” and 
“Continental” terps. Mark Alden, 
Buff Shurr, and Dom. Salinaro 
serve as excellent dancing foils for 
Miss Rogers. Louis daPron gets 
staging credit; Peter Matz smooth¬ 
ly conducts the Ray Sinatra Orch 
(19) for the star. 

The Npvelites (3) longtime faves; 
at the Riviera, return with some 
dandy nonsense, some of it new, 
some familiar. Art Terry on guitar; 
Frankie Carr on accordion and Don 
Santora on bass breeze through the! 
musical slapstick and impreshes, 
drawing hefty yocks. 

Ice team called the Cavanaughs 
(2) neatly glides through a George 
Arnold-staged frozen fandango on 
portable stage. New line of Riviera 
Dancing Dolls (19) perform pret¬ 
tily behind the okay singing of 
Joe Kirchen. Duke. 


Fontaine Res Quatres 
Saisons* Paris 

Paris, Jan.. 27. 

Freres Jacques (4), Paul Braf- 
fort, Luce.ite Raillet, Jean Yanne, 
Pierre Perret, Tudal & Confortes, 
Sine Cats, Billy Beck, Sandra, 
Roger Paraboschi Orch (4); $4 
minimum. 


.This smartly lit, atmospheric 
cabaret seems the last of the Left 
Bank existentialist clubs. It stall, 
adheres, to young and offbeat tal¬ 
ents to make for a unique show 
that will draw those looking for 
gray matter rather than flesh and 
fantasy in their nitery going/ Re¬ 
turn of the Freres Jacques (4), the 
singing group famed in the old 
cave days, will probably have, this 
in for biz. In fine form, with songs, 
surrounded by enough good new 
entries, this is.a top-grade show. 

Freres Jacques essay their tights 
and multicolored jerkins with dif¬ 
ferent hats, mustaches and props 
for the savvy production aspects 
of each song. The numbers are 
incisive, witty and smart and they 
come in for big mitts. Whether 
chanting tales of the woes of a 
drugstore cat, seasickness. Charles¬ 
ton dancing, etc., they blend mime 
and song perfectly, with a touch 
of poetics, to make this the top 
choral group in practice here. With 
Gallic song acts going well state¬ 
side, this bunch is ready for an¬ 
other Yank trip. 

Lucette Raillet is. a pert, pun¬ 
gent-voiced songstress whose tales 
of woe are cleverly underlined by 
a puckish sense of humor and 
bright timing and miming. Fresh; 
though returning to the fertile 
staples of the oldtime diseuse, this 
girl looks to turn into a top spe¬ 
cialized entry here. For the U.S. 
her Gallicized turn would be prin¬ 
cipally for the offbeat spots. * 

Paul Braffort is a balding, be¬ 
spectacled cleffer-singer who sar¬ 
donically turns out songs on atoms, 
mathematics, etc. Intelligent ly- 
ricking and delivery make him a 
good entry for this room, but he 
appears limited for more pop local 
or U.S. chances. Backed by his 
own guitar, Pierre Perret chants 
some clever, mildly anarchic songs/ 
Unfortunately, however, he sounds 
too much like the topi troubador 
here, Georges Brassens. He is good 
but slated to stay in the shadow 
Of the master. 

Jean Yanne is a patter comedian 
with an Original new line. Seated 
behind a small organ, he talks 
about religioso matters in a keen, 
satirical manner which is provok¬ 
ing but never gross or overstressed. 
Punctuated with specialized song 
material, this marks Yanne a bright 
new comic and one to be.heard* 
from here. ' 

Tudal & : Confortes do a mime 
takeoff on early pix with a flicker¬ 
ing light source. Racy and titil¬ 
lating. this is also, in for yocks and 
palms. Sandra is a throaty torch 
singer whose voice and tempera¬ 


ment still lack the power of her 
yearning, downbeat songs. Either 
lighter material or more voice 
work is In store for this earnest 
singer. 

Billy Beck uncorks a oneman 
circus digest. It is a good, idea 
some of the mime is fine; but it 
needs more time and working ;out 
of the character, a clown, for 
greater force. Sine Cats are a 
group of slides in takeoffs oh a 
play of words around the word cat 
with all types of felines displaying 
the gags. This is brightly worked 
out for an interesting, unsual bit. 
Roger Paraboschi Orch (4) gives 
good dance and background music 
to the proceedings. M'osk. 


Windsor Hotel, M’freal 

Montreal, Jan. 28.. 

Evelyn Knight, Sandro. Montero, 
Max. Chamitov Quartet; no cover, 
or minimum. 

As part of the extensive refur¬ 
bishing of the Windsor Hotel, the 
new owners have instituted an en¬ 
tertainment policy in. the Embassy 
; Room and Evelyn Knight was 
picked as the starting performer, 
A frequent visitor to Montreal in 
past decade. Miss Knight still reg¬ 
isters neatly with the patrons as 
she introduces several new songs 
and reprises her old standards to 
okay appreciation. Her lilting, al¬ 
most lullaby piping is as effective 
as ever and this handsome blonde 
i establishes a warm dignity with 
the ringsiderS which fits in perfect¬ 
ly with this new room- 
| Backing Miss Knight is Max 
Chamitov’s newly-formed combo 
who not only give singer solid sup¬ 
port throughout session but cut 
some of the most danceable music 
to be heard in this town between 
shows. In the relief spot, Sandro 
Mdrttero and his guitar registers 
handily as he sings in several lan¬ 
guages everything from folk songs 
to the pops. 

Although still in an experimental 
stage, the show formula for this 
room will probably be hinged on 
single. acts with femme > chirpers 
dominating. Biz has been light dur¬ 
ing the week but near capacity on 
weekends. Newt.. 


Mocambo, Hollywood 

Hollywood, Jan. 28. 
Dick Contino, . Betsy Duncan 
(with Karl Brent ),. Paul .Herbert 
Orch (5), Frankie Sands Trio; $2 
cover. 


Dick. Contino, singling again, 
after his disastrous experience as 
head of* a band, and newcomer 
songstress . Betsy Duncan unveil 
smartly packaged acts, well bal¬ 
anced, sung and often exciting. 
Each act, bn about 30. minutes, is 
built expertly. There is a mini¬ 
mum of pointless chatter. The 
audience, although obviously thick 
with friends and well-wishes (and 
possibly shareholders), responded 
with heavy applause at show 
caught. 

Even for those indifferent to ac¬ 
cordion music, COntiiio is some¬ 
thing, special with hiS rare tech- 
nique and showmanship. He 
[ opens somewhat slowly . with 
“Lover,” does a misty “Moon- 
glow,” and then smashes across 
with “Misirlou.” As Contino has 
long exhibited, he can do things 
with an accordion very few others 
can. He has some mild but pleas¬ 
ant comedy with two Italian folk¬ 
songs—singing to his own accom¬ 
paniment-rand stretches the range 
of his mood from “12th Street 
Rag” to “Around the World.” The 
act Could be expanded . 10 or 15 
minutes from the 12 numbers he 
did opening night, without losing 
audience interest. 

Miss Duhcan, pert redhead who 
sings sweet and sings lowdown. 
serves up such standards as 
“Breezing Along With the Breeze/’ 
“Make the Man Love Me” and 
“Love Is Where You Find It,” in 
addition to some smart special ma¬ 
terial. by Earl Brent, who built her 
act and gives it! slick accompani¬ 
ment: It was a mistake to follow 
Breht’s sharp, fresh satire, “I Hate 
Him.” with a similiar number too 
wellknown to rouse much, reaction; 
a contrast wbuld have been better. 
Miss Duncan also should discard 
the girlish pink bow In her hair. 
It might have seemed a clever 
idea to use this as topping for a 
moulded white satin gown she 
wore for which the term “ding¬ 
ing” seems inadequate, but it was 
distracting Otherwise, Miss Dun¬ 
can, with a total of eight numbers, 
seems a certain bet for the smart 
clubs,. 

Post time for the first show 
Tuesday night was advertised for 
10:30, but this turned out to be. 
more a hope than a promise and 
things finally got ’ underway at 
11:32. .Paul Hebert’s orch back¬ 
stops the'shqw and alternates on 
dance music with the Frankie 
Sands Trio. Kap. 


Amato’s, Portland 

Portland, Ore,, Jan. 28, 

*. ■ Billy Daniels (with Benny Paine ), 
The Claydettes (-6) (with Bev 
Baker), Julian Dreyer Orch (8), 
JoVce & Barbara; $2 jiovet. 

This is the second time in less 
than she months that Billy Daniels 
has returned to this plush show¬ 
case., He -preemed here the latter 
part of last August with a six-day 
stint and had the ropes up through¬ 
out. This, round, is. for two weeks 
and it looks SRO all the way. 

The “Black Magic” man has 
pretty much the same routine as 
on his last visit and the customers 
thoroughly enjoy his 40-minute 
offering. He. stepped onto the ele¬ 
vated stage to a . near ovation and 
Slammed out tune after tune in the 
trademarked style. His voice is, 
better than ever, he works hard 
in easily selling standards and pop 
stuff arranged with slick change of 
pace. Patrons get off their mitts 
for every song. PianistBenny Paine 
is a perfect foil for Daniels’ stuff 
and steals the spotlight in two 
solos for solid returns. 

The Claydettes (6) are on for 
two : outstanding production num¬ 
bers! Ftesh lookers knOw how to 
pick ’em up and lay ’em down with 
precision. Bev Baker : does a nice 
job with her specialty spot. Bar¬ 
bara & Joyce keep the lounge cus¬ 
tomers entertained with their 
Songs, piano and bass stuff. Julian 
Dreyer and his crew (8) play a 
fine Show and set the tempo for 
dancing. The Gaylords open 
Feb. i0. Feve. 


DAC, Detroit 

. Detroit, Feb. 4: 

Florence Henderson, Bill Hayes, 
West, Harrison, Larry Green Orch 
(1); private club. 

Blessed with, good voices that 
blend well together, good looks, 
youth and a. wealth of special ma¬ 
terial linking current pops, musi- 
cbmedy and operetta faves into a 
neat, tuneful bundle, soprano 
Florence Henderson and baritone 
Bill Hayes, who broke in their act 
this week at the Detroit Athletic 
Club; , look like a winning combo- 
fOr the class niteries. The mam 
problem—-if it can be called that 
-r-is the .need to prune some good 
material to shorten their 47-min- 
ute turn to one nearer 30. 

Hayes comes on first with a spir¬ 
ited custom job on “My Song,” se¬ 
gueing into inusicomedy faves, 
rock ’n* roll, opera and frontier 
ballads with which he is identified 
via records. It’s quite a potpourri 
but the. special musical bridges 
built for him by Bobby Kroll trans¬ 
ports huh safely from one score to 
another.. His boyish goodlooks and 
easy manner keep the femmes in¬ 
terested. 

Miss Henderson, blonde, pretty 
and tastefully gowned, takes over 
With a medley of numbers she did 
in “Fanny,” and “Oklahoma.” She 
brings Hayes on nicely with “In¬ 
dian Love Call,” with him answer¬ 
ing offstage and then walking on. 
From then on, they’re paired in a 
large assortment of songs from 
opera to “Honeycomb.” For an 
encore they did. a musical “This Is 
Your Life” of Richard . Rodgers, 
running through Rodgers & Hart 
and Rodgers & Hammerstein hits. 
Again, Kroll provided them with 
artistic as well as serviceable mu¬ 
sical bridges. The duo’s special 
conductor Phillip Ingalls did a 
good job with house orch. 

Wes 'Harrison, “Mr, Sound Ef¬ 
fects,” opened the show so well 
that a lesser pair than Miss Hen¬ 
derson, and Hayes would have been 
strictly anti - climactic; Harrison 
simply is terrific, a show-stopper 
who had to beg off to allow the 
headliners to come on. He. does a 
jazzed-up version of “Little Red 
Riding Hood,” producing realistic 
oral sound effects ranging from a 
souped-up hot rod to trains to a 
tree being cut down by axe and 
saw and then falling with a. whoosh. 
His funny, apt comments in be¬ 
tween the sounds add up to an Off- 
Beat turn that should keep him in 
demand at the better spots. 

Tew. 


International, Houston 

Houston, Jan. 28. 

Jana . Mason, Piero Bros (2), 
Shep Fields Orch (11 ); no cover 
or minimum. 

Jana Mason is another feather 
in the sleuthing cap. of Interna¬ 
tional boniface, Porter Parris. 
Club topper was impressed with 
thrush after catching her. act at 
the N. Y. Plaza Hotel; but for local 
patrons, singer’s rep was close to 
zero—until opening (23) that is. I 
Preem returns at the privatery in-1 
dicate Texas splash for Miss Mason 
ought .to be big. I 

Songbird’s style is distinctive, 
running the gamut from squeals 
to groans, with a nice Sprinkling 
of squirms in a socko white crepe 


gown designed to keep the hard of 
hearing crowd entertained. Big 
clicks here Were special, “What 
the Average Mari Wants”; “That 
Reminds Me of You,” in a torch, 
style that gets away from the past, 
arid “When the Saints Go March¬ 
ing In.” 

Milting and general reaction 
were on the heavy .approval side, 
and dramatic talents of Miss 
Mason sent every number over the 
top. However, thrush’s tendency 
to give every tune, including clas^ 
sics, like “I’ll Be Seeing You,” 
same hypo treatment, is a distrac¬ 
tion. Hypo treatment ought to be 
soft-pedalled were cleffing de¬ 
mands. 

Top half of the double stanza,. 
Piero Bros, is chockful Of unique 
juggling routines. Pair leans, to 
the comic for smash returns, espe¬ 
cially maneuvers with blocks. Slick 
that defies gravity and hat ex¬ 
change were big winners. Backing 
of Fields outfit tops as always and 
a strong temptation for the leather 
pushers. 

Tony Bennett had Ralph Sharon 
Trio bring in new shoW Feb. 6. 

Burt. 


Drake Hotel, Chi 

Chicago, Jan. 28, 
Betty Madigan > Jimmy Blade 
Orch (6), $2 cover. 


Camellia House is a showcase for 
chanteuses, French or their Amer¬ 
ican equivalent. Betty Madigan is 
less a chanteuse, according to 
stereotype, than a wholesome in¬ 
genue with a zest for life. Her de¬ 
portment makes this amply evident, 
although her songalog of ever¬ 
greens doesn’t allow for any partic¬ 
ular classification. 

She effects good rapport, for the 
most part. With such uptempo 
tunes as “Wonderful World” and 
“I Won’t Dance”; but her torching 
misses authenticity and, in the case 
of “Over the Rainbow,” is obvious¬ 
ly derivative. Her fresh, winsome 
appearance stands her in good 
stead with a table-skirting calypso 
offering of “Ugly Woman.” 

Miss Madigan’s voice issues 
cleanly in all registers, and sug¬ 
gests art untapped vibrancy. Her 
patter is ingenuous and winning, 
and for her opening show (24) shd 
wore a green brocade gown with 
bow in back that both flattered her 
figure and supported the ingenue 
image. Jimmy Blade's orch gave 
its usual fine' support Patricia 
O’Day comes into, the room Feb. 
21 . Pit. 


Crescendo, Hollywood 

Hollywood, Jap. 29. 
Johnny Mathis, Bennett & Pat - 
terson, Dave Pell Octet; $2 cover. 


The names have been cropping 
up in the disk field in recent years 
and, inevitably, there has been a 
slow transition of. these platter- 

g usses to saloons. Results have 
een varied, all of which makes It 
a tossup as to how Johnny Mathis 
will fare in this local bow at the 
Crescendo. Offhand, he looks iike- 
a good bet to attract a younger 
audience (which Is what the Cres¬ 
cendo has largely specialized in 1 
anyway), but whether it will spend 
ehough to justify his cost Is prob¬ 
lematical. 

For mature audiences, Mathis is 
an anomaly. He doesn't have a 
saloon act, peddling a standup 
songalog that is largely spiced With 
reprises of his hit disks. .He does it 
well enough and has an ingratiat¬ 
ing personality but the bulk of his 
appeal is in the vocal ■ sound he’s 
able to develop, and It’s a sound 
that has mostly a youthful con¬ 
notation. To make it more palatable 
for older audiences, Mathis em¬ 
ploys an effective change of . pace; 
bouncing from ballad to jazz beat 
and developirig strong response. 
Thus, he goes from items like “It’s 
Not for Me to Say” or “The 12th 
of Never” to a bouncy “Day In, 
Day Out” to good effect. Tricky 
arrangements, -particularly on “Bye 
Bye Blackbird” and “Beginning to 
See the Light,” are also "helpful. | 
Disk reprises include such items as i 
“Wonderful, Wonderful” and “Wild 
is the Wind.” j 

Opener Is a new comedy team, 
Ben Bennett & Dick Patterson, who 
lean heavily on slapstick and sight 
gags. They develop strong laughs, 
particularly with a prop moth bit 
and some material based on “Fa¬ 
mous Last Words.” Act is largely 
a throwback to burlesk days when 
this type of comedy sold well; for 
stronger consideration on the 
nitery beat they need to develop ! 
more polish and to spice their slap-1 
stick with more subtlety. With J 
material Changes of this kind, 
they could make an impact. < 

Dave Pell Octet Is plus-four for 
this engagement, at least to back 
the show. It’s a top group, as al¬ 
ways, and provides a solid dance 
catalog in addition to backing the 
show. Kap. 


hungry i» San Francisco 

San Francisco, Jan. 28. 

Mort Sahl, Jo Ryder, Tom O’Hor. 
gdn, George Miller , Dean Riley; 
$1-$1;50 admission : 

More Sahl is a familiar experi¬ 
ence to habitues of Enrico Ban- 
ducci’s lowercase; basement bistro, 
the hungry i (the hungry intellec¬ 
tual),’ but . an 18-month hiatus has 
made the intellectuals—and seem¬ 
ingly everyone else! in Frisco— 
hungrier than ever for SahL 

For the simple fact is that in 40 
incredibly rapid-fire minutes, Sahl 
is one of the funniest men in show 
business. He is even sharper, faster 
and surer than he was in his two-, 
year stint (1954-56) at the i,. arid 
a capacity crowd loves every sec¬ 
ond! of his satire rind Wide-eyed wit. 

Sahl, tieless, sweatered and 
carrying only a rolled-up news¬ 
paper as a prop, runs through his 
topical staples—Ike, Adlai, foreign 
sports cars, jazz, bohemians, the 
Republican Party and sputniks— 
so quickly and so stream-of-con- 
sciously that the customers are 
literally gasping tot breath be¬ 
tween laughs. He sets the stage 
immediately with his first words: 
“I’m still a bohemian, I don’t want 
you to think I’ve sold out,” and 
has a few 1 special new twists such 
as his comment on a recent New 
Yorker piece that said he had “ 
Christ-like vision.” Sahl’s Com¬ 
ment: “If you’re gonna. identify 
with somebody, you gotta really 
come on,” His famous gag about 
folksingers is still intact: „LT knew 
one who wore his shirt open to the 
naval but he didn’t, have a navel, 
which is either a show business 
gimmick or the ultimate rejection 
of mother.” * * 

Sahi has a great, fast bit about 
the time he arid Dave Brubeck 
asked a Portland, Me., cabbie, 
“Where’s the action? 7.. so he took 
us to this place where they fish 
illegally.” This is all typical Sahl, 
delivered wryly . and beautifully, 
with the fine Sahl jittering and a 
superb cutting edge. Capacity 
crowds are buying it 101%. 

Jo Ryder is a pleasant, stylish 
singer of sophisticated songs; Tom 
O’Horgari is a harpist with a rather 
uncertain Irish tenor; George Mil¬ 
ler and Dean Riley' fill capably on 
piano and bass, respectively. But 
for the next two weeks—-the length 
of Sahl’s engagement—this 75- 
minute show is really all Sahl, 
Stef.. 


C arillon, Miami B’eta 

Miami Beach; Feb. 2. 

. Andrews Sisters, Gary Morton, 
Johnny Conrad Dancers, Dick Ster¬ 
ling,. Jacques . Donnet Orch; $3-$8' 
minimum. 


Decision, to inaugurate a two- 
weeker policy, with name attrac¬ 
tions for this newery’s huge Club 
Siam, adds another competitor for 
the hotel-cafe circuit here. The 
room is probably the largest 
around, allowing for a minimum of 
750 and a maximum of 1,200 for a 
cabaret setup, although there’ll 
probably be over 2,000 persons on 
hand when the first boxing bout 
ever to be televised from a hotel 
is staged later in he month. Size 
of the layout requires a perfect 
sound system—currently being in¬ 
stalled—and ai strongly projected. 
act if it is to come across to all 
corners. 

The Andrews Sisters were a good 
choice for the preem weeks and 
[ first-ever appearance in this area. 
The trio are still a solid singing 
team, albeit their look now is more 
, on the matronly side than in their 
I presentation-house heyday. They 
sell their catalog in smooth, easy- 
does-it manner, a style made to or¬ 
der for this resort’s cosmopolian 
cafegoers. All of their longtime 
hits are contained, along with a 
plentiful insert of the newies. Per 
always, the harmonics are Well at¬ 
tuned In the blending; the stage 
department authoritative; the 
whole a click. 

GaryMorton is lost in this big 
room. He’s a personable guy with 
plenty of moxie, selling an assort¬ 
ment of offbeat and oldies with a 
this-is-new approach, that manages 
to get him over the sometimes dif¬ 
fident aud response, to wind him 
into a warm payoff. 

The Johnriy Conrad group are a 
good choice for this setting. Their 
routinings are inventive and In¬ 
telligent, paced to raise the re¬ 
quired palming that maintains an 
aud reaction upbeat to set the 
show going in zirigy order. 

Dick Sterling is house emcee, i 
smooth, literate sort who handle# 
the assignment in firm style. 
Jacques Donnet’s orch is ditto on 
the showbackings. Attractions to 
follow, beginning Feb. 14, are cur¬ 
rently being lined up, with first 
commitment already cancelled 
when Johnnie, Ray’s ear operation 
forced a beg-Out. Lory. 



Wednesday, February 5, 195& 


Pft&IETY 


. M16HT CLUB REVIEWS 71 


Chez Paree, Chi 

Chicago, Jan. 31. 
Gordon MacRae with Sheila Maq- 
Rae (Van Alexander), Miss Lont, 
Adorahles (6), Ted F t io Rito Orch 
( 16 ); $1-95 cover, $4 minimum* 


After several attempts to land: 
him ere . now, the Chez Paree is 
finally showcasing Gordon MacRae 
in his Chi nitery debut. It’s an . ex¬ 
periment for the club; marking a 
departure from the standup jokes- 
and-songs format with a musicom- 
edy layout. 

An eagerly responsive preem 
audience,- however, should dispel 
any fears about the experiment. 
Simple fact is that MacRae regis¬ 
ters sock with a well-paced 55 min¬ 
utes dominated, by his rich baritone 
as it ranges over a Rodgers & Ham- 
inerstein program most nearly 
identified with MacRae via his 
’'Oklahoma!” and ’'Carousel” pix 
roles. Songalog. also holds some 
nondt & H standards—"Singing in 
the Rain,” "Easy to Love” and 
"Cabin in- the Sky’—from, the 
singer’s current Capitol album. Ail 
come off to solid mitting.. 

In the fashion of the nitery day, 
MacRae and wife Sheila team for 
a round of impressions, nearly all 
well done despite mediocre dialog. 
Deepest cutting of these were the 
ones of Arthur Godfrey and his 
Lipton commercials, and Zsa Zsa. 
Gabor. Another, by Mrs. MacRae 
in bridal gown, makes the raciest 
most of Jayne Mansfield’s boun¬ 
teous bosom. Each impresh, by the 
way, allies the subject with a song, 
e g., the Gabor and "I’m Gonna 
Wash That Man Right Out of My 
Hair,” and the Mansfielch with "All 
or Nothing.” 

MacRae’s capper is a convincing¬ 
ly dramatic "Soliloquy” from "Car¬ 
ousel,” interestingly done to a 
taped accompaniment. It lifted aud 
enthusiasm to its peak and obliged 
MacRae to a superfluous "I’ll Never 
Forget You” nosegay as a begoff. 

Ted Fid Rito's Orch, augmented by 
five fiddles, backs sympathetically 
to the baton of Van Alexander, 
MacRae's conductor-arranger. 

Oldfashioned vaudeville, a Chez 
rarity these days, takes the warmup 
spot Via Miss Loni, a foot juggler 
Who does nicely by her 10-minute 
allotment. Her sensitive toe work 
Is the key to some flashy feats with 
a beachball and other props. 

jAdorables (6) walk through a 
couple of perfunctory productions. 
One circus-themed, the other Japa- 
nese-motifed. Clever backdrop sug¬ 
gesting exterior of a Nippon geisha 
house competes favorably with the 
choreography in latter number. 

Pit. 


Conrad Hilton, Chi 

Chicago, Jan. 28, 
"Big Top,’* ice revue produced 
by Merriel Abbott, featuring Glenn 
& Colleen, Adrian Swan; Fred Na¬ 
pier, Paul Castle, Jo Ann McGovm, 
Luparescos (3), Jinx, Darlene Sel- 
lik r Mehchassys (2), Tyne Tattlers. 
(4), Boulevar-Dears (5), Boulevar- 
Dons (5), Charlie Fisk Orch UO); 
choreography and. staging, Bab 
Frellson; lyrics and score, Bessie 
Smith; costumes, John Baur, Ber¬ 
nard Peterson; lighting, William E. 
Richardson; orchestrations, Norman 
Krone; $2 cover. 


Hilton producer Merriel Abbott 
has mounted a new frozen cream- 
puff for the Boulevard Room, that 
is perhaps splashier and more 
colorful than any of the semi¬ 
annual revues that have preceded 
it. This edition is on a circus 
theme, complete with a parade by 
cast and band around the tables, 
and proves a sumptuous and en¬ 
gaging divertissement in a room 
that caters to gourmet families. It r s 
a particularly delightful attraction 
for the moppets, and much of the 
credit for the show’s eye-appeal 
belongs to the elegant and at times 
Whimsical costumery of John Baur 
and Bernard Peterson. 

On the performance side, it’s not 
as star-minded or virtuoso as some 
of the previous productions, but 
the cast is young, attractive and 
full of vitamins and on the blades 
it. is uniformly skillful; It’s the 
good fqrtune of any would-be star 
to have missed this bill,, because 
be would only have been upstaged 
by a fascinating ice-skating chim¬ 
panzee named Jinx. 

The simian’s monkeyshines are 
a barrel of laughs, whether he’s 
mimicking , per the script or per¬ 
forming acros, or devilishly dis- 
obeying his mistress-foil, Darlene 
Sellik. Jinx has plenty of natural 
show.savvy, and he seems to know 
hos going to bring down the house 
when he swipes a soft drink bottle 
from a rinkside table and goes into 
a drunk act. 

Comedy vein gets a good mining 
too from the three Luparescos, 
who contribute a fine slapstick skit 
as cops and who rate as one of the 
better knockabout acts on ,skates. 


The Menchassys add to the comedy 
side as a two-man Camel, though 
the laughs are. mostly kid-weight. 

Glenn & Colleen, ah adagio skat- 
ing team from Australia, ! score 
brilliantly In a pair of turns, and 
Adrian Swan, another, skater from 
Down Tinder, executes a graceful 
single as the snake charmer. Fred 
Napier’s solo flight as ringmaster 
is highlighted by leaps, and spins, 
and Jo Ann McGowan, a looker, is 
slick and zesty in her segment as 
the prima. Gal exhibits real skat¬ 
ing class and stage keri. 

Half-pint skater Paul Castle is 
effective; in a couple of. short com¬ 
edy takes, and the corps of Boule- 
var-Dears and Doiis is inspired 
and well rehearsed throughout 
Bob Frellson’s choreography is 
fresh ahd cues the vitality of the 
show- . 

Hessie Smith’s original score, 
and the vocal handling of it: by the 
Tune Tattlers,, are. competent, per 
usual. Charlie Fisk’s orch provides 
excellent showbacking and dansa- 
pation. Les. 


The Pigalle, London 

London, Jan. 31. 
u Bernard Delfont presentation of 
“Champagne Shower,” with Chan- 
ning Pollock, Erich. Brenn, Rom¬ 
anos Bros., Pat Dahl, Kim Darvos, 
Peter Elliot, Vickie Grey & Julie 
Gavell, Dancers (17), Showgirls 
\ (9)i Wbqlf Phillips Orch (11); 
choreography, - Billy Petch; pro¬ 
duced by Robert Nesbitt;- $4, mini¬ 
mum. 


. "Champagne Shower,” Robert 
Nesbitt’s third consecutive floor- 
show at the Pigalle, turns out to 
be the most spectacular, the most 
extravagant and the best of the 
trio. Running for just under an 
hour twice-nightly, it is; a gorgeous 
galaxy of color, nifty gals, sliCk 
dancing and tuneful melody with 
three stndout speciality acts as 
good measure. Nesbitt’s produc¬ 
tion is fast moving and glittering 
and, all in all, "Shower” is a gay 
show that will pep up the London 
night parade no end. 

Star turn is the immaculate 
American conjuror Channing Pol¬ 
lock. This debonair personality 
hands out his now familiar routine 
of doves and cards and, if any-, 
thing, it seems even more polished 
than when he first revealed it to 
an astonished London audience. 
To his background music of “Be¬ 
witched, Bothered and Bewildered” 
and With his goodhumored, quizzi- 
cal smile and impeccable appear-: 
ance, Pollock keeps his audience 
mystified and enraptured by the 
smooth ease with Which h me in¬ 
dulges his sleigh of hand. 

The Romanos Bros., a trio of 
Italian acrocomedians, score heavi¬ 
ly with their deft hoofing and in¬ 
gratiating nonsense and Erich 
Brenn garners hefty yocks. Brenn 
is a VIennes comedy, juggler mak¬ 
ing his British debut in "Cham-1 
pagne Shower” with a riotous act 
that had the first-night revellers 
cheering. His gag : is to keep aj 
number of plates twirling on; a 
table, with dishes moving, simul¬ 
taneously on sticks, and the sus¬ 
pense builds to a sock climax. 

These three acts are laced to¬ 
gether by four spectacular song-&- 
danCe numbers lavishly dressed 
(and Undressed) and touching a 
high standard of hoofing. First 
number introduces the show with 
Peter Elliot as singing emcee, Pat 
Dahl singing as "Mademoiselle 
Pigalle,” and Kim Darvos. dancing, 
and with the stage engulfed in a 
"shower of champagne” lighting. 


"Magnificence” is a colorful 
•abian Nights fantasy, with Miss 
ihl as the Sultan’s Favorite and 
cki Grey and Julie Cavell as a 
uple "bf veil dancers, the whole 
ing done to a hopped-up version 
"In A Persian Market.” Miss 
Oil, a stunning blonde with a 
ry agreable voice ahd figure, has 
leat song here. The singer is also 
atured as the Lady of the Moon 
"Witchcraft.” Finale of show 
s Les Girls in superb white fox 
ps and brings on the entire com- 


Pa ?he line and the showgirls are 
easy on the eye and have been 
tricked out with first-rate, cos¬ 
tumes designed by St. John Roper. 
Singer Peter Elliot, held over from 
the previous show, has a pleasant 
voice but seems a shade over- 
welihed by the lavishness and the 
pulchritude around him. Billy 
Petch’s. choreography and Tod 
Kingman’s decor are on a high 
level and Woolf Phillips’ orch 
handles maestro’s own music ex¬ 
cellently. 

"Champagne Shower,’* devised 
and staged by Nesbitt at a claimed 
cost of $434,000, should draw the 
town for a year and the Pigalle 
will prove a magnet for all who 
want to see a floorshow and dine 
and dance to the Phillips ensemble 
at a price that does not make too 
horrific an attack on the pocket.. 

Rich;.. 


Chase Club, St. Louis 

St. Louis, Jan. 28. 
Marguerite Piazza, Ralph Flan¬ 
agan OTch (121; $1.50-$2 cover. 


Her first time in a St. Louis 
night club was a glittering session 
for Marguerite Piazza, who proved 
to assembled middlebrow and high¬ 
brow first-nighters, with no trou¬ 
ble at all, that opera can be. highly 
palatable in a nightery if well 
leavened with the lighter stuff. 

Her opera forays, including "Un 
Bel De” from "Madame Butterfly,” 
got undivided attention, even from 
the more persistent elbow-benders, 
but the house really came down 
When she shed her;gorgeous eve¬ 
ning gown and emerged in scanties 
for a couple of fine lowdown flings 
with "Basin Street Blues” and 
"Birth of the Blues.” 

Miss Piazza has an^engaging way 
with her; too, in her chatty moments 
between congs when she refers to 
her three kiddies back home in 
Memphis and sings a lullaby, pre¬ 
sumably the Way she does it when 
the family’s gathered ’round. She 
also makes good use of the. hand 
mike, undulating from one ring¬ 
side table to another and kindling 
new sparks in the eyes of the bald- 
headed row. 

The Ralph Flanagan orch has 
added some one-big-happy-family 
touches, sending a half doZenor so 
of the boys in The band out stroll¬ 
ing and playing among the tables 
every now and then and conduct¬ 
ing dance contests, with free Flana¬ 
gan records for the winners. 

Next attraction: Rowan & MaTr 
tin, Feb. 6-19. with Charlie Spivak 
taking over tor six weeks as the 
house band. Bob. 


Stage Door, Toronto 

Toronto, Jan. 29. 
Jackie Rae, “Roar with , the 
Twenties ” ilO), Jimmie Coixon, 
Donald Ramie; $2 minimum down¬ 
stairs, $2 cover upstairs. 


Jackie Rae, headlining as blond 
crew-cut baritone, has no difficulty 
getting across to audience from 
his bouncy , opening of "Almost 
Like Being Jn Love” to his finale 
"Come Rain or Come Shine/’ Rae 
can. sell a song, plussed by change 
of tempo ranging from shout-ef¬ 
fects in "Birth of the Blues” to his 
slow "All the Way.” Singer has a 
deep, rich voicethat is used for 
feeling of the lyrics and he hushed 
late dinner guests. He seems adroit 
enough to sing on any medium. 
Bows should also go to the arrange¬ 
ments of Howard Cable and piano 
accomp of Jimmie Coxon. 

Rae’s engagement also marks 
debut of "Roar with the Twenties,” 
another of those nostalgic revues* 
this time produced by Allan Pearce. 
With beaded, waistless dresses and 
cloche hats for the girls—-and 
striped blazers, beanies and raccoon, 
coats for the boys—this is a fast- 
moving 35-minute melange of 
thumb-licking, hip-slapping songs 
and dances of the era. Outstanding 
are A1 "Pearce and Donna Miller in 
"Twordollaf High-Collar Shirt;” 
plus Peter Mews and Don Francks, 
latter in little-boy suit and ringlets* 
for theif clowning of "Sonny Boy.” 
The Whole is a. blend of spng hits 
of the *20s and spirited dancing of 
the Charleston and Black Bottom. 
Also outstanding upstairs is Don¬ 
ald HarVie for his solo spot of Noel 
Coward takeoffs. Bill is in for 
three weeks. McStdy. 


/ El Morocco, Montreal 

Montreal, Feb . 1. 

; Sally. Blair (with Curly Benito), 
Bob Melvin, Dorothy Kramer Dan¬ 
cers (4) with Jimmy Clark, Wally 
Aspell, Don Carlo Orch (9), Larry 
Moore .Trio; $1 cover; 


Certainly the most handsome 
colored thrush to grace the floor 
of El Morocco, Sally Blair is a vocal 
as well as visual click. Garbed, or 
rather poured, in a revealing gold 
lame gown that is tight enough to 
restrict almost all movements but 
those of her expressive face. Miss 
Blair brings an entirely new type 
of chirping to Montreal—it is some¬ 
times confusing but always inter-i 
esting. 

Teeing off With "Taking a Chance 
on Love,” songstress does "Be¬ 
witched” and then changes pace 
for appreciation with "You Make 
Me Feel So Young.” Coming back 
for her encore set, she offers' a 
pair of nifties, winding up with a 
complicated arrangement of "Black 
Magic” that includes most of the 
songs in heir book, with the original 
tune as a brief opener and closer. 

Her offbeat rhythms and manner 
of dragging, the lyrics of a number 
produce some odd tempos, but she 
is. in control at all times and 
never fails to end up ih a dead 
heat with her bongo drummer, 
Curly Benito, and the Don Carlo 
orch which gives her solid backing 
throughout. 

Preceding Miss Blair is comic 
Bob Melvin who played this room 
last September when Sammy Bayis 


Jr. headlined. Because of the time 
Davis did. on the show, Melvin’s 
part was cut considerably, but on 
this session he is allowed his full 
stanza and leaves no doubt that 
he is a very funny gabber. Material 
is fast, and he works for the con¬ 
tinuous, steady laugh rather than 
two or three explosive yocks pre¬ 
ceded by endless, and sometimes 
pretty dull, patter. 

The Kramer dancers, held over, 
are effective in two interpretive 
numbers and ernfcee Wally Apsell 
belts a few songs with authority to 
open layout. Between shows the 
Larry Moore combo is in with cus¬ 
tomer terping. Miss Blair holds un¬ 
til. Feb. 9. Newt. 


Seville, Hollywood 

Hollywood, Feb. 4. 
HiFi’s (5), Jimmy Field Dancer's 
(6), Johnny Martinez & Cheda 
Orch (6); 2-drink minimum. 


“Tantrum in Tempo,” current at¬ 
traction at the Seville, is: an all¬ 
sepia revue which doesn’t measure 
Up to Seville standards.- Show, 
though sparked with the Verve re¬ 
cording artists, the HiFi’s, still 
lacks the production quality and 
Stephen Peck, co-owner of spot 
with Cliff Larue and a top dancer- 
choreographer, should have util¬ 
ized more of his own talents. The 
entire turn lasted around 40 min¬ 
utes, half of which was wasted be¬ 
cause of an overly loud musical 
backing for the HiFi’s and failure 
of the Jimmy Field dancers to stay 
together. 

Best thing in the show is a skif 
with a preacher attempting to puri¬ 
fy the remainder of the cast via a 
number entitled "Hallelujah.” 
Show In several instances is remin-* 
iscent of the ones staged at Har¬ 
lem’s Apollo Theatre during the 
big-band era. .. 

HiFi’s, four boys and a girl, 
please with "Moonglow,” "Good- 
news” and "Summertime.” The 
Field dancers mixed sextet with 
the girls all lookers, impress spot- 
tily with various routines com¬ 
prised of island Afro-Cuban and 
progressing terping. The Johnny 
Martinez & Cheda orch (6) satisfies 
the dancers but is too loud for the 
vocal end of the staging. Kafa. 


Lake Club, Springfield 

Springfield, Ill., Jan. 28. 
Betty Johnson, Dick Ware, Mir¬ 
iam Sage Dancers (6), Buddy 
Kirk Orch. (8); $1.50 admission..; 


. Based on opening night (25) re¬ 
action at the Lake Club, Betty 
Johnson has double pronged poten¬ 
tial; on the nitery circuit. She 
draws and she sells (See New Acts). 

: Comedian r hoofer Dick Ware 
works swiftly with routines which 
mix nostalgia with laughter. His 
impressions of Pat Rooney, Eddie 
Leonard ahd Bill Robinson are 
terpsichorean pleasers. His emcee¬ 
ing talents will, no doubt improve 
as the eight-day show proceeds. His 
opening night goofs can probably 
be chalked up to "Chicago jitters/’ 
He introed the headliner as "star 
of In Town Tonight” and Miriam 
Sage’s, dancers as "the Lake Club 
Adorables.” 

Production numbers by Miss 
Sage’s sextette of lovelies include 
an opening Hawaiian medley and 
a followup "New .Orleans Blues” 
episode. The latter features orch 
leader Buddy Kirk silhouetted in 
an indigio lit "Birth of the Blues” 
cornet solo. The dancers slink in 
strapless red tights, but the blues 
effect Is still there. The earlier 
hula gyrations present a wardrobe 
problem in that the girls leave an 
appreciable amount of grass from 
their, skirts oh the: floor after each 
performance. Otherwise it would 
be . even more eyeworthy than now. 

Wayn. 


Ottawa House, Ottawa 

Hull, Que., Feb. 1. 
Carol Stevens, Canadian Jazz 
Quarte*; 50c admission. 


Carol Stevens, billed as "The. 
Satin Doll” and- persistently, 
gowned, in revealing black, is si¬ 
multaneously puzzling and fas¬ 
cinating audiences in the Circus 
Lounge of the Ottawa House, 
where she’s thrushing to Feb. 6. 

At first, the impression goes out 
that customers palm-slap so. she’ll 
breathe deeper, but: as her husky- 
toned pipes gradually overweigh 
the pectoral display in showman¬ 
ship value, femme’s chirp savvy be¬ 
comes evident Backed superbly by 
the Canadian Jazz Quartet with 
Phil MoOre arrangements, MisS 
Stevens’ weird but intriguing stint 
collects big mitting. Between her 
three nightly stanzas,; the CJQ also 
garners hefty kudos from the cus¬ 
tomers. , 

In the downstairs Grill, A1 Cost! 
Trio showbacks for Kathy Skyler’s 
piping, Gom. 


Crescendo, Houston 

Houston, Feb. 1. 
Paul Gray, Jose Ortiz Orch (5) 
with JoAn Green; $3 minimum Sat, 


First appearance of Paul Gray 
here ia eight years sets a precedent 
and points up a fact: Houston is 
ready for small doses of sophisti¬ 
cated cellar material from the 
north; and the wild gusher days, 
complete with mink-soled cowboy 
boots of a decade ago, are gone for¬ 
ever. 

Gray laid out a solid hour o£ 
gentle satire for privatery mem¬ 
bers on night caught (31), and 
though build occasionally faltered 
as he wended his way through bar¬ 
rage of one-liners, two-line songs 
and topicals, and wound up en¬ 
thusiastically on his side at close. 
Mom, apple pie, the CIO, lovelorn 
columnists and other American in¬ 
stitutions all came in for joshing. 
COmic eschews'the obvious as much 
as aud taste will permit; builds 
complicated spiels loaded with $10 
Words, and is quick with recovery 
when ideas fall flat. 

Pace is low with few peaks, but 
faves are "Do It Yourself Instruc¬ 
tions For How To Be A Comedian” 
featuring explanation of various 
type gags; "The Whiffenpoof Song” 
with laff-riot vocal backing by 
strictly south-of-the-border Jose 
Ortiz group; and evangelist rou¬ 
tine which proves a steady winner. 
Gray knows the diff between acid 
and vinegar, avoids the former. 
Longtime handling of conventions 
with similar material will stand 
him in good stead here. 

< Jo An Green is stirring up a lot 
of enthusiaSfa with terpstime vo-. 
cals and Ortiz orch is tops, as 
usual. Gray bopking ends Feb. 10; 
Jaye Bros, (2) follow. Burt, 


Cave, Vancouver 

Vancouver, Jan. 28. 
Norman Erskine, Pat Yankee, 
Flying Hartzells (2),. Paul Suter 
Orch (7); $1.50-$2 cover. 


In for his first Cave fortnight, 
Australia’s Norman Erskine goes 
over with a wallop, and it's clear 
enough why. Singer’s a socko im¬ 
port packing a clear-around-this- 
catacomb sound and. clicks well 
with area’s spelunkers, though 
rating only titters for line of chat¬ 
ter that’s much too "Bow Bell-ish” 
to win bellylaughs. Aud reaction 
this aspect is, which end do his. 
gags wag? 

Song-wise, longshoreman Ers¬ 
kine proves a lusty swinging nat¬ 
ural (never taught)—and by his 
agile and dervish mitt ’n’ mike 
mannerisms emerges a Sydney 
dockside Billy Daniels with a flair 
for Sammy Davis techniques. 

At show caught, songalog sand¬ 
wiched "Them There Eyes,” "That 
Old Black Magic,” "Goody Goody,” 
"Lady Is a Tramp” and "I Could 
Have Danced All Night,” all deliv¬ 
ered supercharged and grabbing 
enthusiastic mitting. 

Pat Yankee’s a beauteous blonde, 
hipster who injects impreshes 
atwixt blues and bounce cleffings. 
Femme serves sultry stuff bn her 
"Love Me or Leave Me” duo-bit 
with Paul Ruhland’s (resident) 
standout basswork. She should 
catch the eye-and-aye of bookers. 

Flying Hartzells offer a whirl- 
away sesh on a high bar rig that’s 
.a very acceptable warmup stanza. 

Toms. 


Anti-Nazi Pix 

Continued from page 1 

showing of anti-German flickers. 
Two years ago, CBUT-TV, was the 
object of an attack from the Ger¬ 
man community, comprising one- 
eighth of the metropolitan popula¬ 
tion. The German press of this 
area has published stories on tv 
showings of wartime pictures but 
English dailies, with few excep¬ 
tions, have ignored the issue. 

This city’s German population; 
according to lodal sentiment, 
would launch a boycott of local 
advertisers on KVOS-TV’s outlet, 
if the station should persist in 
showing Nazi pictures. 


IM Salaries Probe 

'Sss. Continued from page 2 

then added that he wanted Curtice 
also to supply betore-and-after- 
tax-income for Jayne Mansfield, 
Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe, 
Frank Sinatra, Red Skeiton, Gepe 
Autry, Sherman. Billingsley and 
Mickey Mantle. 

There he stopped, apparently 
completely out of entertainment 
business names. 

Curtice, looking, unhappy and 
puzzled, promised to try and obtain 
as much of the information as pos¬ 
sible.^ 


Wednesday* February 5, 195ft 


72 


P^namfr 


VARIETY BILLS 

•WEEK OF FEBRUARY 5 

Numerals In cmumcHmi with bills below Indlcat* openlngday of show 
whether full or. spilt weak 

Letter in parenthoses Indicates circuit: p> Independent; <L) Loew; (M) Moss; 
CP) Perameunb <R> RICO; iS> Stoll; <T) Tivoli; *W> Warner 


Music Hall <P) 
Corps de Ballet 
Jack Reader 
Sondra Barrett 
Rockettes 
Glee Club 
Lucille Maimers 


NEW YORK CITY 

Foursome 
Renald A Rudy 

Roxy ♦ 

Harrison fc Xossi 
Skating Squires ' 
Rexyettes.. 


AUSTRALIA 


Billy Barnes Revue 
Dave Fell Octet 
interlude 
Prances Faye 
Shelly Menne Ore 
Largo 

Arthrn L. Simpkins 
Jimmy Grosso . 

A! Escobar Ore 
MocambO 
Dick Contino 


MELBOURNE 
Tivoli (T) If 
Shirley Basse? 2. 
Vic Hyde • 

Lili Berde 
Clifford Guest 
The Curibas 
George Holmes. 
Neal & Newton 
Eleanor Gunter 
Joe Martin 
X Winds 
Jimmy Jeff 
Johan; O'Connor 
Alwyn Leckie 
Rao Morgan 


Reg Priest man 
Norman Thorpe 
SYCNEY 

. Tivoli <T> 10 

Larry Griswold 
Johnny Lockwood 
Eagle A Man 
A Robins 
Rayes Sc Faye 
Anny Berryer 
Medlock Sc Marlowe 
Wlnnetou A Squaw 
Jimmy 1 Parkinson 
. Edit Johas 
fFrank Ward 
B & D Stuchberry 


BRITAIN 


FINSBURY PARK 
Empire (M> 3 
EUly Cotton Bd 
Clarkson & Leslie 
Richman A Jackson 
Louise A Dogs 
Terry Scanlon 
Fuller A Janette 
Del Cortina 

GLASGOW 
■mptre CM) 3 
fflh Dale 
Vipers 
Billy Stutt 
Due Buasmar 
Fox Girls 
S A V Pardoe 
Campbell A Roger- 
son 

GRANADA 
•* Kettering <t) 3 
Tony Brent 
Gladys Morgan 
A Co. 

Sid Phillips £c Bd 
Mackell 2 

LONDON. 
Metropolitan (I) 3 

Edmund Hockridge 
George Martin 


X Paulot 


X 


Kay A Kimberley 
Ron A Rita 

NORTHAMPTON 
New (1) 3 
Poaches Page 


Em A Gray 
Peter Raynor. 


Bin Giles 
Paul. King 
« Girls 

NOTTINGHAM 
Empire CM) 3 
Dorothy Squires 
Renee Dymott 


A Betty 
_ Elliotts 
A Co. 


Cortex Bros 
Bud Ritchie 

SOUTHAMPTON 
Grand CM 3 
Max Miller 
Penny Nicholls 
Lane 2 

Sharpe A . Iris 
Eve Valere 
Cydoonies 
Del Orro A R 
SUNDERLAND 
Empire (M) 3 
David Hughes 
McKennas. 

Bill Maynard 
Billie Wyner 
Bobby Thompson 
Peter Cavanagh 
Ray Alan 



NEW YORK CITY 


Bon Solr 
Kayo Ballard 
Tony A . Eddie 
Morgana King 
Jimmie. Daniels 
Blue Angel 
Bobby Short 
Carolina A Belen 
Phyllis Dillon 
Bobby Lewis 
Jimmie Lyon Trio 
Casanova 
Jose. Duval 
Margrit A Adrienne 
Chateau MadrM 
Carmen Amaya Co. 
Ralph Font Ore 
Panchito Ore 
copacaeana 
Peggy Lee 
A1 Bernie 
Axi dentals 
Cindy Tyson 
Sammy Devens 
Peggy Womack 
Michael Durso Ore 
Frank Marti Ore 
Downstairs Room 
Julias Monk 
Bonny Graham 
Ceil Cabot 
Ellen Hanley 
Jean Arnold 
Gerry Matthews 
Stan Keen 
Lovey Powell 
Warren Vaughn 
Brooks Morton. 

. El Chico 
Marisa Terol 
Lucerite Tena 
Carlos A Myrna 
Mellitas Del Campo 
... No V Fifth. Av» 
Bob Downey 
Harold Fonville 
Joan Bishop 
Hotel Pierre 
Stanley Melba Ore 
Joe Ricardel Ore 
Betty Benee 
Hotel Plaza 
Genevieve 
Ted Straeter Ore 
Mark. Monte Ore 
Hoter Roosevelt 
Guy Lombardo Ore 
Hotel Statler 
Les & Larry Elgart 


Hotel Taft 
Vincent Lopes Ore 
Hotel St. Regis 
Doretta Morrow 
Milt Shaw On 
Ray Bari.Ore 
. Latin Quarter. 
Fran Warren 
Helen Hayden. 
Malagan Sis 
Los Gatos 
Chandra Kaly 
Martha Ann Bentley 
Jamel Twins 
Marilyn Ross 
Bob Kennedy 
Syncopated Waters 
Jo Lombardi: Ore 
B Harlowe Ore 
L* Cushion. 
Gretchen Wyler 
Old Romanian 
Ted Lewis Ore 
McKenna Line 
- Show Place 
Karen. Anders 
Barbara. Shanna, 
Wm, Graham 
Kenneth McMiUen 
Wm. Nix 
Natalie Charlson 
Town &: Country 
Harry Belafonte 
Mattison Trio 
Buster Burnell 
Ned Harvey Ore 
Sicaris Ore 
Viennese .Lantern 
Vicky AUtier 
Evelyn Sharpe 
Ernest Scboen Ore 
Paul Mann 

Village Birn 
Billy Kelly 
Mae Sagan 
Larry McMahon 
Irving Harris 
Belle Carroll 
Piute Pete 
Bobby Meyers Ore 
Village Vanguard 
Irwin Corey 
Charlie Mingus 
Melvin Stewart 
Waldorf-Astoria 
Pearl Bailey 
Emfl Coleman Ore 
Bela Babai Ore 


CHICAGO 


Black Orchid 
Jonathon Winters 
Jennie Smith 
Joe Parnello <3) 
Blue Angel 
"Calypso Extrava¬ 
ganza” 

Princess. Abilia & 
King Christian 
Lord Christa 
Lord Rafael 
Candelas Trio 
Roger McCall 
Blue Note 
Teddy Wilson Trio 
Joya Sherrill 
Chez Pare# 
Gordon MacRae 
Chez Adorables 6 
Ted Fio Rito Ore 
. Cloister Inn 
Eddie Higgins Trio 
ir Kim Karter 

Conrad Hilton 
"Big Top*' 

Glenn A Coleeh 
Menchassys 


Lnparescos 
Paul CasUe 
Darlene Sellik 
Jo Ann McGoWfcn 
Fred Napier 
Adrian Swan 
Norman Crider 
Tune • Tattlers 4 
Charlie Fisk Ore 
Drake Hotel 
Betty Madigan. 
Jimmy Blade Ore 
. Gate of Horn 
Brownie McGhee 
Sonny Terry 
Sonja Savig 

London' House 
Jonah Jones 4 
Mister Kelly** 
Smith Twins (2) 
George Matson 
Marx A Frigo (3) 
Palmer House 
Nelson Eddy 
Gale Sherwood 
Mdrlidor Trio . 
Ben Arden Ore 


LOS ANGELES 


Capri 

Don Cornell 
Tippy A Corbina 
Ethel Martin 
Teal. Joy 
Dick Curry 

National 
Katyna Ranleri 
Ray Carson 
Marla Magdalena 
Parisfen Dncra 
Dancing Water* 

” Reyes .Ore 
Riviere 
’Jaye P. Morgan 
Jack Cole 
Anita Ellis 
Tybee Afra 
Casino Playa.Orc 


Desert inn 

Jimmy Durante 
Eddie Jackson 
Sonny King : 

Skeets Minton .. 
Donn Arden Doers 
Carlton Hayes Ore 


"Minsky's Treats 
of Paris" 

Carrie Flnnell 
Chiquita A Johnson 
Tana Leigh 
Lisa London 
Francis Biunn 
Deon Robb 
Joe De Rita 
Irv Benson 
Tommy Raft 
Murray Briscoe 
Garwood Van Ore 
El Cortez 
"Rhythm on Ice" 
George Arnold 
Baxter Hallett Ore 
El Rancho Vegas 
Sophie Tucker 
Vagabonds 
Dick Rice Orch 


Coconut Grove 
Frankie. taioe 
Farrar Trio 


Ray Anthony . Ore 
Crescendo 
Mel Tonne 


Betsy Duncan 
Paul Hebert Ore 
Meulln Rouge 
Will Mastin Trio 
Donn Arden Lino 
Royal Guards 
Eddie O'Neill Ore 
Statler Hotel 
Gogi Grant 
Ed. Bergman Ore 


HAVANA 


sans Soud 

Dolores Perry 
Gloria A Roland# 
Rolando . La Serie 
Victor Alverez 
Miriam Barreras 
La Serie Ore 
Ortega Ore 


Krllnda Cortes 
Alberto Rocbi 
Blanca Varela 
Gladys A Freddy 
Riveros 
Gnancheros ■: 
Monica Castel 
Tropieana Ballet. 
S Boaret Orq 
4' Homed Ore 


LAS VEGAS 


Goofers 
Flamingoettes 
Jack Cathcart Ore 
. Fremont Hotel 
Nitecaps 
Make Believes 
The Victors 
The Castles 


Hint . Penny 
Sue Thompson 
Woodsons 
L 4c F. Maynard 


Riviera 
Ginger Rogers 
Novelitej 
Cavanaughs 
Bay Sinatra Ore 


Mairlene .Dietrich 


Jerry Lewis 
Peg Leg Bates. 

Dick Humphreys 
Mudlarks 
Copa Girls 
Antonio MoreW Orr. 

. San Seud - 
G. Llberace Show- ' 
/ease 

Hoyt Henry. Ore 


Garr Nelson 
Showboat Girls 
Vic Artese Ore 
. Silver Slipper 


Candy Barr 
Joey Cowan 
Loray White 
Annie Maloney 
Jimmy Shaw 
Jimmy Cavanaugh 
Sparky Kaye 
Mac Dennison : 
Geo. Redman Ore 
Thundarblrd 
Guy Scalise 
Tropieana 
Jane :Kean 
Neile Adams L 
; Nat - Brsndywynns 


MIAMI-MIAMI BEACH 

Dorothy Donegan 3 
Emery Deutsch: 
Strings 

Rascha Rodell 
Mai Malkin Ore 
Sonny Kendis Ore 
Louis Varona Ore 
. Pontalneblsau 
Liberace . 

Jean Fenn 
Sacasas Ore - 
Pupi Campo Tire 
Latin Quarter 
Sue Carson 
Bernard Bros. 

Bob DeVoye Trio 
Rudy Cardenas 
Quito Clayero 
Gina Guardi ’ 

Martha Errole 
Walter Nye Ore 
Lucerne 

Havana Hard! Gras 
Diosa Costello 
Milos Velarde 
Don Casino 
Tonia Flores 
Tony A Francella 
Juan Romero 
David Tyler Ore :■ 
Luis Varona Ore 
Malayan . 

Pete Petersen .X 
Bhama Mama . 
Calypso Revue. 
Murray Franklin's. 
Terry Haven 
Danny Rogers 
Snuffy Miller 
Roy Sedley 
Linda Bishop 
Sue Lawton 
Eddie Bernard 
- Nautilus 
Larry Best 
Napoleon Reed 
Mac Pepper 
CarloS A Yvonne 
Syd Stanley Ore 
Riot Room 
Don Rickies 
June PeiTy 
Bobby Sherwood 3 
Sans Soud 
Dick Hall 
Freddy Calo Ore 
Saxony \ 

Geisha Girl Revue' 
Ming & Ling - 
Toy A Wing 
Florence Abn 
Tony Toyada 
Tong Bros. 

Kabouki Biters. 

Ruth Wallis 
Charles. A Faye 
Henry Levene Ore 
Seville 
Dave Fisher 
Benitez Sis . 

Bob Sennett. 

Murri A Ruth 
Johnny Stivers Or* : 
Key Mambo Ore 
Shelborne 
Cappielios . 

Leonard Young 
Len Dawson Ore 
Lord Flea Calypso 


Betty Hutton ‘ 

Herb. Lurie ; 

Jones Boys 
Jerry . Fielding. 
Jackie Heller 
Lee Martin Ore. 
Maya Ore 

Avalon 
Hal Winters . 

Bobby Dnkoff Ore 
Anita Boyar. 

Red Smith 3 
Balmoral 
Irving Fields 3 
Billy Mitchell 
Mickey Gentile 
Jose Cnrbelo -Ore 
Carillion 
Andrews Sisters 
Gary Morton 
C. Conrad Dncrs. 
Dick Sterling 
Jaques Donhet Ore 
Cafe De Paris 
Dick Shawn. 

The Szonys 
Trio. Cottas 
Piroska 
Billy Fellows 
Jet MacDonald 
Dick Estes 
Ilona Nagy 
Chlckie James 
Doug Scott 
Croft Twins . 

Ruth Wallis 
Lyda Fairbanks 
Freddie Bell Bell¬ 
hops 

Cotton Club 

Cab Calloway- 
Step Bros. 

Paul. Mears & 
LaRaine 
Slappy White 
Jimmy Randolph 
Mari Leighton 
Hines Bros. 

Norma Miller Dncrs 
Tune-Drops 
Ed Barefield Ore 
Deauville 
Leonidoff Revue 
Jack De Leon 
Janik A Arnaiit . 
Steve Gibson. Red¬ 
caps 

Damita Jo 
Rosemarie O’Reilly 
Caracolilo A Maria- 
. Rosa . 

Cover Girls (18) 

Tito Puente Ore 
Monte Franklin 3 
DJ Lido 

Bageltime Revue 
Barton Bros. 

Eddie Scnaeffer 
■Lillian Hayes 
Kay Carole/ 

Bea Kalinas 
Bobby Escoto 
Bernie Sager 
Cabey Ore 

Eden Roe 
Joe E. Lewis 
Marie MacDonald 


RENO 


Harolds Club 

Dynamics' 
Twin-Tunes (5) 
Harrah's 
Debra Hayes (5). 
Ho Hums 
Jackie Burns 
■Larry Williams 
Holiday 

Ish Kabibble A 


Shy Guys (5) 
Neile-Aires (5) 
Starr Kings 


Jo Ann Jordan 3 


SAN FRANCISCO 


Bleekfiawk 

Stan Getz Quintet 
Gay 90’s ^ 

Bee, Ray A Ray K; 
Goman 

Flo Healy Dncrs 8 
WaUy Rose Ore 
Backstage 
Joanne Beretta 
Bernard Bragg 
Easy Street 
Turk Murphy. Ore 
Fairmont. Hotel 
Carol Changing 
E. Heckscher Ore 
Hungry i. 

Mort Sahl ° 


Jo Ryder 
Tom O'Horgan 
Jack's Waterfront 
Ernestine Anderson 
Memry Midgett 
Pat Paulsen 
Jazz Showcase 
Dick Saltzman 4 
3*5 Club 
Carl Ravazza 
Allen Cole . 
Dorothy Dorhen 
Dcrs (10) 

Alex Dushin Ore 
Pack's H 
Bobby Troup 
Four. Preps 


Faiths Far Apart 

Continued from page 1 
a wide variety of non-Catholic 
groups, and observed that “within 
the past few years therff has grown 
up a certain rigid and frigid rela¬ 
tionship between x relatively large 
and vocal group of non-Catholics 
and the Catholic Legion of De¬ 
cency. This smoldering hostility 
has in. recent times flashed out in 
ways that are striking by contrast 
jvith earlier, vastly more sym¬ 
pathetic non-Catholic reactions/’ 

“Why, and over what far hori¬ 
zon, did that spirit of civic coop¬ 
eration disappear,” Father Davis 
asked 

To the Protestants, there is noth¬ 
ing very puzzling, about the breach. 
They declare the Catholics de-. 
cline to cooperate in. any activity 
that does not wholly correspond to 
their own, .strictly defined con¬ 
cepts. 

“We have no desire to be cen¬ 
sors,” held one prominent Protes¬ 
tant. “We are interested primarily 
in promoting the good and getting 
our people to -support such films. 
In so doing, we tend to ignore 
rather than spotlight the bad pic¬ 
tures. In other Words, we . don’t 
feel that, because a picture isn’t 
what we would want it to be, we 
should 'forbid’ people to see it. 
Thats’ not the way we should func¬ 
tion in a democratic society.” 

Protestants and Jews alike feel 
that the cleavage between them 
: and the Legion developed because 
they stress the need for positive 
action whereas , the Legion stops 
at a moralistic evaluation of film 
content, with the accent primarily 
on the negative, i.e., with x view 
to,.“wamjag’’ the. faithful of 
dangers inherent in certain pic¬ 
tures. 

There are, however, strong in¬ 
dications that,; within the Church, 
there are priests working towards 
• a procedural change ; which might 
reestablish closer ties. Protestants 
say eveiy effort has been made to 
cooperate with the Catholics but 
seek, some “compromise.” For in¬ 
stance, again quoting a Protestant 
spokesman, organized Catholicism 
wouldn't join the “Green Sheet” 
evaluation activity of the General 
Federation of; Women’s Clubs, 
primarily because they * did not 
want to be put;‘in a position of 
having to constantly dissent On. 
such strong themes as divorce, 
suicide, etc., and be spotlighted in 
this, manner, 

A Roman Catholic spokesman 
. last week agreed that the area of 
. intercredal cooperation was .nat¬ 
urally limited to to some basic 
Catholic concepts, but he expressed 
strong hope that new contacts 
coufd be made on a general, level 
in the future, particularly if there 
should be a change in Church at¬ 
titude, with greater emphasis, on: 
positive action. He noted that the 
addition of the third. “A” rating 
by the Legion represented a step 
in that direction and, in effect, con¬ 
stituted a “recommendation” of 
sorts, to see the film. 

Father Davis, contacted about 
his speech, said he had. not planned 
to give any* answers, but had meant 
merely to highlgiht the problem. 
Catholic spokesmen generally tend 
to feel strongly that the Legion is 
doing the most valuable work in 
the field and that, if there is joint 
; support of anything, it should be 
thrown behind the Legion’s work. 
This is rejected by Protestants and 
Jews who. point out that the Cath¬ 
olic evaluations and .ratings are 
sometimes influenced by questions; 
of dogma that have virtually no 
bearing on non-Catholics. 

“We may not like divorce, or sni- 
cide,” opined one Protestant lead¬ 
er, “but we wouldn’t think of mak¬ 
ing an. issue of them in a picture. 
After alb that’s life, and the movies 
are supposed to reflect it.” 


House Reviews 

i 


Music Hull, N. Y. 

“Gut Of This World," produced 
by Russell Mdrkert, with Carol 
Wilder, Jack Beaber, Sondra Bar¬ 
rett, Corps de Ballet, Glee Club, 
Rockettes , The Foursome, Renald 
& Rudy, Music Hall Symphony Or¬ 
chestra directed by Raymond Paige; 
sets , James Stewart Morcom; cos -; 
tumes, Frank Spencer; lighting ef¬ 
fects, Eugene Braun; ballet direc¬ 
tor, Margaret Sande; “Seven Hills 
of Rome,’’ reviewed in Variety 
Jan. 8, ’58. 


“Out Of This World” is more 
than a mere phrase for the current 
offering at the Hall. This Rnssell 
Marker! production is another ex¬ 
ample of the suavely presented, 
highly imaginative stage offerings 
at the Rockefeller establishment. 1 
Beethoven's “Moonlight Sonata”! 
serves as the inspiration for the j 
gifted Corps de Ballet and high¬ 
lights the dancing of Jack Beaber 
and Sondra Barrett. In this gossa-* 
mer-like ntimber the female danc¬ 
ers are'garbed in delicate whites 
while the male dancers, are In col- j 
ors ranging from shocking pink to 
fuchsia— a striking combo and a! 
direct hit with the audience. Mor- 
com’s. celestial background, star-' 
shot and moonbeamed, is a elick. | 
Lucille Manners, soprano, wasj 
originally scheduled to appear in a' 
scene titled “Starbeams,” but was! 
taken ill the day before the,show 
Opened and Carol Wilder, one ; of 
the choresters, stepped in and 
proved herself a capable substitute. 
With the Foursome, singing combo, 
and the Glee Club, she offered a 
medley of tunes that had the pa¬ 
trons more than satisfied. 

Renald Sc Rudy, acrobats, do a 
routine they call “Poetry of Mo¬ 
tion,” an accurate description of 
their work. These lads, with hand¬ 
some bodies, are superb, slow-; 
motion balancing performers, and 
draw beaucoup applause 
The Music Hall Symphony Or¬ 
chestra, always a masterly group of 
musicians presided oyer by Ray¬ 
mond Paige, offers an effective 
medley of Cole Porter tunes with 
arrangements by Rayburn Wright. 

The closing scene is “Out of This 1 
World” for which Moroom has 
fashioned a stunning 16-foot rer 
volving version of the globe and 
an equally effective- backdrop fea¬ 
turing both sea and land objects. 
Thfe Rockettes, as usual, score 
heavily. Rons. 

Alkanbra, Paris 

Paris, Feb. 4. 

Charles Trenet, Sister Roseita 
Tharpe, Claude Vega, Nicoladto, 
Eric Brenn, Domenechs (2) u Fred 
Kaps, Ronnie Aui & Maria Carmen, 
Pierre Spiers Orch (24); $3 top. 


Singing without a hat for the 
first time, Charles Trenet has gone 
on record that this house appear¬ 
ance is his last. Celebrating his 
20 th aniii in show biz, and 45 years 
old, Trenet was probably .talking 
through his non-existent hat. In 
better form than ever, he trots out 
an hour of poetic, savory and op¬ 
timistic numberss interlarded with 
nostalgia but never mawkish, to 
make: him one Of the top singer- 
cleffers on the. scene here. He will 
probably go on till he falls off the 
stage. In good voice, fettle and 
poise, Trenet scored big before a 
VIP aud. 

Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s true jazz 
spirituals also gets a fine welcome 
but, singing in English, she puts 
somewhat too much into her ges¬ 
tures and song backings. Toning 
down somewhat, she Should do 
even better in her first French 
stint. Backed by an electric gui¬ 
tar, Miss Tharpe had hands clap¬ 
ping both with her and for her. 

Claude Vega is an adroit mimic^ 
whose Uncanny imitations and ma-' 
terial raise to him to satirist stand¬ 
ards. After a ribtriekling takeoff 
on diva Maria Callas, he mows 
down most Of the. top singers and 
manages to be witty rather than 
vindicative. Material keeps him 
a local bet. 

Nicolacito is a seven-year-old 
lad from Paraguay who plays a 
small South American harp with 
fine rhythmic sensitiveness to 
make this a good entry. Eric 
Brehn scores with his marathon 
juggling number as he keeps six: 
bowls spinning on sticks, and as 
many plates on a table, plus doing 
other bits while keeping them in. 
motion. It gets gasps from the 
aud. This is a top filler, and ready 
for *Yank video or vaude. 

Domenechs (2) are a fast paced; 
hand-to-hand act done. to. a carioca 
rhythm. Deceptive ease and a good 
frosting, via performing the same 
number in the guise of various 


nationalities, make this a topnotch 
support turn. Fred Kaps is a 
suave magico in tails with an ele¬ 
gant act. 

Bonne Aul & Maria Carmen sup¬ 
ply terp aspects via a carioca rou¬ 
tine adapted for the stage. Graces 
Yul and easy, it still needs some 
revving up for house conditions. 
Pierte Spiers orch (24) supply 
good sentimental interludes plus 
fine act backing. Doing away with 
the traditional Gallic femcee has 
made the show better geared and 
run, and she is not missed. It may 
lead to technological unemploy¬ 
ment, but is a necessary step for¬ 
ward in the house picture here. 
This looks in store for good biz 
during Its four-week run. Mosk. 


New Acts 


DIANA DECKER 
Songs 
20 Minx. 

Society. Restaurant, London 

Diana Decker is a slick chick 
well known to British audiences as 
a film and tv actress and comedi¬ 
enne. 'Now riie has whipped up a 
neat though unduly short act which 
consists of point songs interspersed 
with some witty patter. She. is good 
to look at and is a Welcome entry 
into the*plush saloon circles. Miss 
Decker’s voice is not a particularly 
strong one, but it is more than am¬ 
ple for the type of songs she essays 
and for an intimate room. 

She kicks off to a dullish start 
with a ditty that appears to have 
very; little meaning and ho concrete 
title, but from then on Miss Deck¬ 
er captures her audience with her 
gaiety and neat material. She does 
parodies of stars as they might 
carol. “The. Story of Tina.” The 
Stars include James Stewart, Glori 
Swanson, * Katie Hepburn,. Gi 
Lollpbrijgida and Jerry Lewis . . . 
and StewarMnd Miss Hepburn ace 
the best of a good bunch. She fol¬ 
lows with “A Wonderful Thing To 
Be,” and two specially written 
pieces called “And That’s All” and 
“Take Me to a Movie.” Her patter 
about cinematics raises ready 
yocks. 

Altogether, this is a highly 
promising debut and Miss Decker.. 
can be chalked up as a Very useful 
asset when it comes to entertaining 
late night, revellers, Rich. 


PAULA CASTLE 
Songs 
15 Mins. 

Orchid Room, Jackson Heights, 

:• n.y. 

Paula Castle is the talented 
chirper who heads up the bill , at 
the . recently opened Orchid Room. . 
Pop singer belts but four pleasing 
tunes which include “When; I Fall 
in Love With You,” “Jet My Love,” 
“I Get a Kick Out of You,” and 
“There’ll Never Be Another You.’ 

Miss Castle has a good singing 
Voice and a routine of appealing 
tune^.but there are times when 
she needs a bit-more lung power 
and bounce. Her styling is pleasant 
and she has showmanship. 

Miss Castle has recorded an 
album, “Lost Love” for Bethlehem, 
backed by the George ■ Welling¬ 
ton-trio. — 



— Continued from page 3 , 


riiany more such runs around the 
country. Company is now setting * 
up around 100 openings for Easter 
week but final decisions ori policy 
haven't been made yet. 

Coritinuous run means four 
; showings a. day, .with a five-minute 
break at the half-way mark at each 
performance plus the intermission 
between showings. 

Price . Tange is a major switch. 
Todd’s entry for the most part has 
played to a top of more than $2. 
and in some cities, such as New 
York, Chicago and San Francisco, 
the maximum has been $3.50. 

There have been some instances 
of public resistance to the road¬ 
show tariff, mainly encountered iii 
the south and in.snch mining areas, 
as Scranton, Pa. Some customers 
as Scranton, Pa. Some customerse 
balked, too, at the bard-ticket idea , 
for a picture, preferring instead to 
attend the theatre at the time they 
themselves selected and choosing 
their own seats. 

Despite these objections, how¬ 
ever, “80 Days" still shapes as 
among the top all-time money¬ 
makers bn the film industry’s 
books. 




Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


P25zie?ty 


LEGITIMATE 


78 


See Barrymore, Wesson Lawsuits 


The power of Actors Equity to 4 
discipline its own members is being r" 


threatened in two separate N. Y. 
Supreme Court suits. The com¬ 
plaints, 'filed individually by Equity 
members John Barrymore Jr. and 
Gene Wesson, contest their respec¬ 
tive suspension and censure by the 
union's council. 

It’s figured that a court reversal 
of the council-action in either or 
both of the cases could seriously 
weaken the effectiveness of future 
disciplinary decisions handed down 
by the union’s governing body. Ac¬ 
cording to a union rep, the filing 
of suits by Barrymore and Wesson 
is in violation of an. Equity rule, 
which states that a member must 
first appeal a council decision to 
the membership. Neither of the 
plaintiffs has. done that. 

Wesson has hit the union with a 
$100,000 damage suit, charging that 
Equity’s public censure of him and 
apology to Ethel Merman in his 
dispute with the actress! has sub¬ 
jected him to “scorn and ostracism 
in his profession” and has impaired 
his earning power. 

. The actor is also asking a public 
retraction by Equity of his censure 
and the apology to Miss Merman, 
who had filed charges against him 
with the union after he had pub¬ 
licly accused her of being respon¬ 
sible for his dismissal, from the 
Broadway production of “Happy 
Hunting.” Miss Merman, who 
starred in the musical through its 
closing last Nov. 30, denied Wes¬ 
son’s allegations. The union has 
until next Monday (10) to answer 
Wesson’s complaint, 

Barrymore, in his brief, which 
the union, had to answer by last 
Monday (3), wants Equity to re¬ 
voke a suspension placed on him 
by the council as a result, of 
charges brought against him by 
Charlotte Harmon, operator of the 
Ciinton (Conn.) Summer_Theatre. 
Mrs. Harmon, wife of legit press- 
agent Louis Harmon, claimed that 
Barrymore had been guilty of “con-/ 
: duct unbecoming an actor” While 
appearing at her theatre in a pro¬ 
duction of "The Man” in 1955. 
Barrymore is also asking for dam¬ 
ages of ah undetermined amount; 

Fay Bainter Dl in Che 
Ruth Nelson Subbing 
In Touring ‘Journey’ Co. 

Chicago, Feb.. 4. 

Fay Bainter has been sidelined 
from the Chicago run of “Long 
Day’s Journey: Into Night” Until 
she. recovers from fatigue and a 
siege of lumbar pneumonia.. The 
actress, costar of the Eugene 
O’Neill drama, was taken to Wesley 
Memorial Hospital last week. 

Her understudy, Ann Driscoll, 
substituted for several perform¬ 
ances. Later Ruth Nelson, under¬ 
study to Florence Eldridge in the 
Broadway production, planed in to 
take over the role. 

Miss Bainter is reportedly recov¬ 
ing well, but whether she’ll return 
to the show during its final two 
weeks in Chi is still iffy. However, 
she’s expected to rejoin for the 
•remainder of the tour, perhaps for 
the. next , stop in Pittsburgh, 

Fatigue was brought on largely 
by the grind of eight performances 
per week in an unusually long play, 
the two Saturday shows inyplviiig 
a total of virtually eight solid hours 
onstage.,‘■Journey” has now re¬ 
sumed a seven-performance sched¬ 
ule. with the Monday night show 
dropped. 


With City Center Opera 

David Atkinson will Jump from 
musical comedy to opera at the 
N- Y. City Center this season. The 
actor-singer, who’s-been! set for the 
male lead, in the Center presenta- 
tipn of “Annie Get You* Gun,” be¬ 
ginning Feb. 19* will also appear 
at the house during the subsequent 
opera season in “Trouble in Tahiti” 
and “Taming of the*! Shrew.” 

He’s also recording “Tahiti” for 
MGM Records. 


ATPAM Membership 569, 
Same Tbtal as Last Oct. 

The. membership of the Assn, of 
Theatrical Press, Agents & Man¬ 
agers in mid-December was 569, 
the .same as the previous October. 
Although the tally held steady, 
there were minor changes in cer¬ 
tain categories. The December 
breakdown included 442, overall 
(444 in October); 72, local ARCA 
(74 in October); 3, outdoor (none in 
October); 21, music field (same in 
October) and 31, road picture divi¬ 
sion (30 in October). 

The December count took in 
newly - admitted union members 
Lila Glasser aryl Howard Atlee, who 
completed apprenticeship in the 
N. Yi Press Agents’ Chapter. Also, 
Louis Liss, who was admitted as a 
Chicago area member.. Other 
changes included the transfer of 
Alice McCarthy from'ihe New Eng¬ 
land area, to overall membership 
and the registering of Richard 
Grayson and: George McLain as ap¬ 
prentices in the Managers group: 



Beatrice Lillie, who starred in 
last season’s flop Broadway pro¬ 
duction of “Ziegfeld Follies,” is 
involved in a dispute with Mark 
Kroll and Charles Conaway, the 
producers of that, revue. The' 
hassle, however, concerns the 
star’s participation in the venture 
as a backer rather than a per¬ 
former. 

Previously, Kroll. & Conaway 
lost but in an arbitration with Ac¬ 
tors Equity over Miss Lillie’s con¬ 
tract The union claimed that the 
comedienne was not given suffi¬ 
cient advance notice of the. show’s 
closing and that she was not paid 
a fraction of v the recording fee due 
her as a result of the producers* 
failure to go ahead with plans for 
an original cast album of “Follies.” 
The amount. won by Equity, for 
Miss Lillie was about $3,800. 

Kroll & Conaway, however, have 
attached $1,000 of that amount, on 
the claim that Miss. Lillie failed to 
put up 20% overcall on her $5,000 
investment In .the production. 
Their motion seeking a stay of 
$1,000 of the award to Equity was 
denied : last, month, and their at¬ 
tachment action followed. 


Near East Angel 

Even in the unsettled Near 
East, it seems, people, have an 
itch to invest in Broadway 
shows. An application for the 
purchase of 25 shares, at $10 
per share, of stock in Theatri¬ 
cal Interests Plan, the legit 
investment syndicate, was re¬ 
ceived Monday (3) from E, M. 
Kuta, of the Ab Quak district, 
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. . 

The communication didn’t 
indicate how the sender learn¬ 
ed about TIP, but there have 
been various feature articles 
recently in newspapers and 
magazines about , the setup. 


Censor Adds Bra 


The film rights to the Broadway 
production of “Fair Game” have 
keen sold to Charles K. Feldman 
Cpiumbia Pictures for over 
$1.50,000, plus a percentage of prof¬ 
its on the picture. 


‘P0RT0FIN0’ TO FOLD 
THIS WEEK IN PHILA. 

Philadelphia, Feb, 4. 

“Portofiho,” Which began a prer 
Broadway tryout run at the Err 
langer Theatre here Jan. 25, has 
posted a closing, notice for next 
Saturday (8). The Richard Ney 
production i costarring Georges 
Guetary, Helen Gallagher and Rob¬ 
ert Strauss, represents a $200,000 
investment. 

The tuner, with book and lyrics 
by Ney . arid music by Louis Bell- 
son and Will Irwin, was originally 
booked for a three-week run at the 
Erlanger through, Feb. 15. It was 
then scheduled for a Feb. 19 bow 
at the Adelphi Theatre, N; Y. The 
show, panned by the local critics, 
grossed around $12,000 last week, 
after a $5,400 opening night take. 

Reginald Rose has. been tagged 
to handle the legittuner adaptation 
of George W. Campbell's novel, 
“Cry for Happy,” for Which Burton 
Lane is providing the score and 
Dorothy Fields the lyrics. 


Boston, Feb. 4! 

Stage censorship in Boston is 
becoming a serial, and not all the 
reaction is favorable. The: latest 
blue-pencil episode involves “The 
Entertainer,” the London play by 
John Qsborhe, currently playing 
a pre-Broadway engagement here 
with Laurence: Olivier as star. 

With sensitive souls still atwit- 
ter over the spicy dialog in the 
touring “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” 
currently at the Wilbur Theatre, 
the local censor went to the pro¬ 
tection Of Hub virtue again last 
week by forcing a nudie performer 
in the British import to wear a bra 
for subsequent performances. That 
drew editorial: ire of the Boston 
Herald. 

There had been some question. 
Whether the performer, Jeri; Arch¬ 
er, appeared actually nude.’ She 
claims she wears a flesh-colored 
G-string, but Cyrus Durgin, re¬ 
viewing the show for the Globe, 
described her as wearing nothing. 
Besides the Herald editorial, there 
has been considerable press cov¬ 
erage of the incident, much of it 
tending to be deadpan kidding.: 

The Herald editorial read in 
part, “Of course, considering this 
is Sir Laurence Olivier’s first visit 
to the city; it is only fair that he 
receive an appropriate Boston wel¬ 
come: While he is here We might 
arrange to have a few serious nov¬ 
els banned and the naughty statues 
in Symphony Hall draped. 

Referring to the cover-up order 
for ‘‘The Entertainer,” the paper 
declared, “This dogmatic method 
bf censorship, which fails to dis¬ 
tinguish between the purposes, of 
a Work of art and the merely pruri¬ 
ent is subject to every kind of 
ridiculous , excess. Britannia (the 
character portrayed by Miss Arch¬ 
er.—Ed.) , semi-clad will probably- 
be as esthetically effective as Brit- J 
tania nude. But the principle re¬ 
mains, and it’s distressing to con¬ 
template mice as arbiters of our: 
morals rather than the city’s com¬ 
mon sense,” 

A number of unusually gamey 
lines in the show drew no censor 
action. 


‘CAPTAIN’2D NIGHT (?) 
TO BE SATURDAY (8) 

The second night press list for 
"Oh Captain,” Which opened last 
night (Tubs.) at the Alvin Theatre, 
N.Y., is that in name only. Actu¬ 
ally, those on the list Won’t be ad¬ 
mitted into the theatre until next 
Saturday evening (8), the fifth 
night 

The preceding eves, except for 
the preem; have ail been sold to 
theatre parties, with a benefit or¬ 
ganization even taking over part of 
the house for the Saturday night 
performance. The heavy load bf 
first-week parties is the result of 
the musical opening a week later 
than originally planned; 


'Sunrise* Click Fools Smart Boys; 
GufldUsed Doff to Lure Baders 


Angling for Bob Hope 
For the St. Loo Muny 

St. Louis, Feb. 4. 

Expecting to lure Bob Hope back 
to the musical book stage In “Rob¬ 
erta” (his old Broadway vehicle) 
and to have Andy Devine for Cap’n 
Andy in “Show Boat,” the St. Louis 
Municipal Operetta season is now 
being booked. 

This will be number 40 for the 
summer enterprise, believed oldest 
in outdoor musical managements, 
though Elitch’s Garden in Denver 
and other non-musical companies 
may have longer histories. Local 
undertaking began Juife 6, 1919, at 
"orest Park; 


r i 


Flops Lose 150G 

Broadway, and the road had- a 
flop apiece last Week for an esti¬ 
mated combined loss of over 
$150,000. 

In New York, “Maybe Tuesday” 
tossed in the towel Saturday night 
(1) after five performances, while 
the tryout , of “This Is Goggle” 
closed “for repairs” the same night 
at the Shubert Theatre, Washing¬ 
ton. “Tuesday,” produced by Ethel 
Linder Reiner and Jack Lawrence, 
is figured to have loss Its entire 
$ 90,000 capitalization. 

“Goggle,- produced, by (Otto 
Preminger and costarring Kim 
Hunter and James Daly, Was 
financed at $100,000, and Is be¬ 
lieved to have • dropped most of 
that coin on production costs and 
breakin losses. Playwright-author 
Max Shulman was called in to doc¬ 
tor the Bentz Plagemann comedy, 
but isn’t expected to do further 
Work on it. 

. A third closing last week , was 
"Separate Tables,” which folded 
in Chicago, ending a curtailed 
road tour. The Terence Rattigan 
twin - dramas had a successful 
Broadway run last season, but did 
generally disappointing business 
on its subsequent out-of-town trek, 
so a number of scheduled book¬ 
ings were .cancelled. The venture, 
presented by Producers Theatre 
in partnership With HechbLan- 
caster, is understood to have made 
about $50,000 profit 

ARTHUR MILLER APPEAL 
IN APRIL BUNCHING 

Washington, Feb. 4. 

Appeal of playwright Arthur Mil¬ 
ler, to have his contempt of Con¬ 
gress conviction set aside Without 
further hearings, has been nixed by 
the y. S. Circuit Court of Appeals. 
Instead, the court ruled that the 
Miller appeal and those of seven 
other men convicted of contempt 
of Congress, will be heard in April. 

in an unusual move, reserved 
only for cases of much more than, 
average importance, the court said 
all nine members would sit. Nor¬ 
mally, this D. C: .court operates in 
three-man panels/ Among the oth¬ 
ers who will be heard is Herman 
Liveright, former television direc¬ 
tor for a New Orleans station. 

Miller’s conviction stemmed from 
his refusal to give the House Un- 
American Committee the names of 
other writers he met at Communist 
meetings, in 1947.' He was convict¬ 
ed on two counts; Subsequently, 
the Supreme. Court ruling in the 
Watkins case invalidated one of the 
counts. It is the other which Mil¬ 
ler, husband of Marilyn Monroe, 
is appealing. 


After March 1st, 1958 


Newsstands 


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Pet Copy 


Per Year 


See Details Page 63 


The smash reception o'f* “Sun¬ 
rise at Campobello” on Broadway 
last week crossed up the “smart- 
ies.” Although the Dore Schary 
drama about Franklin D. Roose¬ 
velt began to loom as a likely hit 
recently, having gotten glowing 
reviews in. its Boston and Pbilly 
tryouts, it, had earlier been re¬ 
garded dubiously by the Theatre 
Guild as well as by prospective 
backers. 

In fact, it was so difficult to ob¬ 
tain the specified $110,000 capital 
that the Guild required backers of 
its other concurrent production, 
“Summer of the 17th Doll,” pre¬ 
sented in partnership with the 
Playwrights Co., to take two-for- 
One shares of "Sunrise.” In Other 
words, in ordeiwto get one unit of 
the highly regarded “Doll” it was 
necessary to take two units of 
“Sunrise.” g 

Despite the generally poor re¬ 
views for “Doll,” the ‘ Australia^ 
import (by way of London) stands, 
to make a modest profit,- since it 
involved an unusually low cost add 
had a pre-production film deal, in 
addition to the Guild subscriptipn 
support for three weeks at the box- 
office. It must vacate the Coronet 
Theatre by Feb. 22, and the Guild 
has announced the intention of 
transferring the production tQ 
some other. Broadway house. 

“Sunrise ” on the other hand, 
stacks up as a solid smash, having 
received unanimous rave reviews 
and extraordinary audience re¬ 
action. It had a healthy sale prior 
to the. opening and has had a 
steady line at the Cort Theatre 
boxoffice since the preem. 

The. Guild-Schary production 
cost- about $80,000 to bring in, and 
can earn about $8,000 weekly op¬ 
erating. profit, so it stands to get 
into the black by about mid-ApriL 
The situation on the film rights to 
(Continued on page 77) 


Greenwich Mage Maps 
Post-Merten Honors For 
Bodenhem, Derelict Bard 

Greenwich Village will mark 
the fourth anniversary of the mur¬ 
der of Bohemian poet. Maxwell 
Bodenheim, with a community¬ 
wide observance next Sunday night 
(9). Bodenheim, who ended up as a 
Village derelict, is the subject of 
the Ben Hecht play, “Winkelberg,” 
current at the Renata Theatre in 
the Village. 

A special ceremony will be held 
on the Renata stage following the 
Sunday ‘.night performance, while 
a flock of poets will read selection* 
from published Bodenheim works 
in nearly a dozen bars and niteries 
in the Village. Among the poets 
slated to participate in. the read¬ 
ings are Alfred Kreymborg, Mur¬ 
iel Riikeyser, Norman Rosten, 
Helen Wolfert, James Grady, Rob¬ 
ert Claremont, Kenneth Koch, 
Harry Nederlander, John Brooks 
and Richard Davidson. 

The Village spots skdeded to 
cooperate in the event include the 
Five-Spot Cafe, San Remo Cafe, 
Kettle of Fish, Cafe Bohemia, 
Limelight, College of Complexes, 
Dugout, Half-Note, Goody’s Bar 
and The Couch. 


Schweppes (Soda) Backs 
LoBdon Legit Production 

London, Feb.. 4. 

Schweppes, the beverage firm, is 
going in for legit backing. The 
outfit has a $2,800 investment in 
the upcoming English Stage Co. 
production of Anne Jellicoe’s “The 
Sport of My Mother.” slated to 
open Feb. 25 at the Royal, Court 
Theatre here. 

The move into legit follows, a 
similar action last-year when the 
firm backed a Royal Academy of 
Dancing pic which had world-wide 
distribution. In explaining the 
maneuver, Sir Frederick Hooper, 
Schweppe’s British head, empha¬ 
sized, “This is not a charitable ges¬ 
ture. It’s done for publicity.” 

Hooper added, “From time to 
time we are prepared to put money 
into a prestige production which 
enahles us to get the name of 
Schweppes into a different med¬ 
ium.” 0 In line with this, the out¬ 
fit plans to re-invest. any profit* 
from, “Sport’* In future produc¬ 
tions. 



74 


IJSglTjPig^TE 


PSriety 


Wednesdays February 5, 1958 


Shows on Broadway 


Sunrise at Campobello 

Theatre Guild & Dore Schary presenta-. 
tlo'n of three-act (eight scenes) drama hy 
Schary, Staged hy Vincent J. Donehue; 
scenery and lighting. Ralph Alswang; cos¬ 
tumes. Virginia Volland. Stars Ralph 
Bellamy: features Mary Fickett, Henry 
Jones. Anne Seymour, Alan Bunce, Mary 
Welch, Roni Dengel. At Cort Theatre. 
N.V., Jan. 30, '58; $6.90 top ($9.20 open- 

Anna Roosevelt Roni Dengel 

Eleanor Roosevelt .. Mary Fickett 

Franklin D. Roosevelt :. Kenneth Kakos 

James Roosevelt.. James.Bonnet 

Elliott Roosevelt ........ - - Perry Skaar 

Edward . .James Earl Jones 

Franklin D. Roosev Ralph Bellamy 

John Roosevelt.. . . Jeffrey Rowland 

Marie..Etnel Everett 

Louis McHenry Howe........ Henry Jones 

Mrs. Sara Delano Roosevelt 

Anne Seymour 

Mis# Marguerite (Missy) ,Le Hand 

Mary Welch 

Dr, Bennet _.......... James Reese : 

Franklin Calder ...._ William Fort. 

Mr. Brimmer Clifford. Carpenter 

Mr. Lassiter.Richard Robbins. 

Gov. Alfred E. Smith;_ Alan Bunce 

Daly __ Jerry Crews 

Policeman - Floyd Curtis 

Senator Walsh ......... Vincent Dowling 

Speaker . .......... Edwin Phillips 

Stretcher Bearers.. . . .Edwin Phillips, 
Vincent Dowling, Floyd Curtis 


Broadway has a new hit and 
Dore Schary a new career. "Sun- 
igse at Campobello" is an intensely 
afFecting. drama about the forma¬ 
tive years in the career of Franklin 
D. Roosevelt. It’s due for spectac¬ 
ular boxoffice success and should 
make a stunning picture, for the 
author, who intends to produce it 
himself. 

Not even the Roosevelt haters 
Will be able to resist this enthral¬ 
ling and progressively stirring 
drama covering the vital period 
from FDR’s shattering attack of 
infantile paralysis at the family’s 
summer home at Campobello, 
Canada, in 1924, to the moment 
when the triumphantly erect fu¬ 
ture President, hobbles the few 
steps across the platform at Madi¬ 
son Square Garden, N.Y.,' in 1924 
to make the nomination speech for 
AI Smith. 

There may be quibbling at the 
form of the play. For instance, as 
the final curtain went up and down 
before the cheering first-nighters, 
one belittler was* overheard ex¬ 
plaining to his companion, "It’s 
really not much of a play—it’s just, 
exciting theatre.” Maybe the dis¬ 
tinction wasn’t too clear, but the 
conclusion was right on the button. 

Although there are numerous 
political references in the play,; all 
pro-Democratic, of course, they 
are expressed in terms of charac¬ 
ter and are not likely to rile Re¬ 
publican diehards. Also, the time 
element and even the subjed; mat¬ 
ter pre-dates the more controvert 
sial period of Roosevelt’s career 
as President. 

! Anyway, "Sunrise” is primarily 
a drama about people—vividly in¬ 
teresting people, and in particular 
one of the most dramatic figures 
of this century. The play is a high¬ 
ly theatrical study of character; 
showing an overwhelming affliction, 
an agonizing and courageous 
struggle and finally the inspiring 
emergence of a national leader. 

It’s also the portrait of a saintly 
figure in the sublimely brave and 
steadfst wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, 
and the relentlessly devoted friend 
and advisor, Louis McHenry Howe, 
later to become the : President’s 
press secretary. 

Finally, it Is a revealiijg picture 
of the conflict between the posses¬ 
sive, determined mother, Sara 
Delano Roosevelt* who wanted her 
afflicted only child to return to 
their estate at Hyde Park, N.Y., to 
rusticate as a country squire; arid 
the. sardonic, wily, equally adamant 
Howe,' who successfully maneu¬ 
vered to get him into the White 
House. 

The play opens with the carefree 
family life about dusk of that, fate¬ 
ful day at Campobello. It is por- 
tentious with audience fOre-know- 
ledge, however, and the blow frills 
at the first-scene curtain. ' The 
second scene shows the worried 
family as the stricken Roosevelt 
lies upstairs, still trying to keep 
up his active life of public affairs. 
Determinedly cheerful, the patient 
is carried downstairs on a stretcher 
and, at the curtain, is taken to the 
boat for the trip back to New York. 

The second act takes place in the 
family’s New York City home, and 
covers a period from the following 
May until January of 1923. It 
includes several moving scenes as 
the future President fights to 
regain his health. 

There are the throat - catching 
moments when he practices crawl¬ 
ing, lest he might be trapped in 
a fire, the almost unbearable mo¬ 
ment when Mrs. Roosevelt is over¬ 
come with emotion while reading 
to her two smallest children, arid 
as second-act curtain, the heart¬ 
breaking scene in which the af¬ 
flicted man tries to walk on 
crutches, falls' to the floor and 
slowly, painfully but indomitably 
makes still another attempt. 

Scene by scene the drama be¬ 


comes more believable, suspense 
builds and the emotional pitch 
increases. The final act includes 
an amusing scene as AI Smith 
arrives and, after some deft politi¬ 
cal sparring, invites FDR to-make 
the nominating speech at the ap¬ 
proaching Democratic convention. 

The final two scenes are short 
and very effective, showing the 
taut atmosphere behind the scenes 
in Madison Square Garden just 
before Roosevelt’s entrance arid 
then the climactic moment wheri 
he stands at the speaker’s rostrum 
holding up bis arms to acknow¬ 
ledge the roar of the crowd. 

Ralph Bellamy, who has been 
growing in the last decade, or so 
not only as ah actor but-also as 
a personality,, gives a superb per¬ 
formance as FDfL He catches the 
Roosevelt appearance, mannerisms 
and speech patterns, but also gets 
far deeper into the characterization 
by somehow suggesting something 
of the unquenchable humor and 
force and remarkable magnetism 
of the man. It- is a brilliant per¬ 
formance and gives . Bellairiy new 
stature as a star. 

Mary Fickett gives a beautiful, 
poignant but admirably considerate 
portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt, 
While. Henry Jones offers an elo¬ 
quent performance as the faithful 
Howe and Anne Seymour is fine 
as the future President’s imperious 
mother. 

There are also excellent por¬ 
trayals by Mary Welch as Missy 
Le Hand* FDR's secretary; Alan 
Bunce as a salty AI Smith; and a 
large company of supporting play¬ 
ers including Roni Dengel as Anna 
Roosevelt and James Bonnet, Perry 
Skaar, Kenneth Kakos and Jeffrey 
Rowland as the four sons. 

Vincent J. Donehue has staged 
the elaborate sfiow with precision 
and what appears to be a nice 
sense of pace and emotional varia¬ 
tion, Ralph Alswang has designed 
authentic - looking, flexible arid 
playable settings, and Virginia 
Volland has provided proper early 
20 ’s costumes. 

"Sunrise” is a double bullseye 
for Schary, who not orily wrote the 
play but has co-produced. it with 
the Theatre Guild. Moreover, be¬ 
sides giving him a glittering ve¬ 
hicle for screen adaptatibn, "Sun-: 
rise” puts, him in the big leagues 
as a. playwright and back in the 
top; bracket of Hollywood figures. 
It is, incidentally, the first play 
he has written since "Too Many 
Herpes” (3 performances, 1937-38). 

Kobe. 


Present Laughter 

Playwrights* Co. and Lance Hamilton & 
Charles RusseU presentation of three-act 
domedy by Noel Coward. Star* Coward; 
co-stars Eva Gabor. Feature* Joyce 
Carey, Mona Washbourne, Angela Thorn¬ 
ton, William Traylor. John Ainsworth, 
Therese Quadri, Robert Thurston, Avril 
Gentles, Winstoh Ross. Staged by Coward; 
setting. Oliver Smith; costumes, Frank 
Thompson; lighting. Peggy Clark. At 
Belasco Theatre; N-Y., Jan. jl, 58; $6.90 

Daphne Stillington.Aqgela Thornton 

Miss Erikson Avjil Gentles 

Fred .. .Robert Thurston 

Monica Reed ......... Mona Washbourne 

Garry Essendlne ... Noel Coward 

Liz ■ Esseridine .......... 1 - - Joyce Carey. 

Roland Maule.. William Traylor 

Morris Dixon_........ John Ainsworth 

Henry Lyppiat ..........-1. Winston Ross 

Joanna Lyppiat ... . Eva Gabor 

Contesse de Vriac,...,..*Therese Quadn 


Each time the piece of fluff that 
is Noel Coward’s "Present Laugh¬ 
ter’’ threatens to cease being air¬ 
borne* the triple-threat author- 
director-actor. gives the slightest of 
puffs and the featherweight play 
wafts impudently off again. It's 
11 seasons since "Laughter” had 
159 performances .on Broadway, 
with Clifton Webb as Star arid John 
C: Wilson as stager. Now Cow¬ 
ard is rotating the play with "Nude 
With Violin” for six performances; 
here before taking the two-play 
repertory off to stands in San Fran¬ 
cisco and Los Angeles. 

There are any number of delights 
for Coward fans iri the present re¬ 
vival. Apart from the fact that 
the dialog has the familiar Coward 
pungency to offset the also- 
familiar lack of anything to say 
{“That wasn’t a prostitute. That 
was the wife of. one of my dearest 
friends.”). * there, are visions of 
Coward juriiping up and down in a 
pet. Coward bringing the show to 
a standstill as he stamps the floor 
to a petulant "Well, really!” Cow¬ 
ard in an alarming array of dress¬ 
ing gowns. Coward grooming hair 
and tie each tiine- the doorbell 
rings. Coward thoughtfully poking 
at front , teeth or nostril . with his 
little finger, or Coward doing 
nothing and doing it quite well.. 

For although the impish British 
comedian has had the theatrical 
astuteness to surround himself 
with an impeccable company, each 
Of whom is thoroughly aware of the 
shortest distance between one 
Coward sally and the .next, the re¬ 
doubtable Noel, as author, director 
and . actor,; is unquestionably his 


own best friend. He extracts from 
“present Laughter" more laughs 
per square inch than could possi¬ 
bly be predicted, from the script 
and, if memory serves, consider¬ 
ably more levity than the play en¬ 
gendered in ’46-7. 

What’s it about? Who knows? 
A just-past-50 actor, who isn’t quite 
divorced, is given to “casual scam¬ 
pering about” with various young 
things. He’s off for an African 
safari and discovers. that every¬ 
body’s following him. Somehow; 
morality prevails as he slips away 
at final curtain with his wife. j 

Bloride Eva Gabor is cast ais one 
of the kittenish besiegers of the ac¬ 
tor’s# peace. Whether in a white- 
be-furred evening cape some acres 
wide, or flimsy blue pyjamas, Miss 
Gabor is a pleasantly prancing 
stage picture, and she- has the | 
pouting, energy to .make a good 
Coward vis-a-vis. 

: Stalwarts Joyce Carey and Mona 
Washbourne, the actor’s respective 
wife and secretary, give ironclad 
support, while Angela Thornton is 
in amiable, earnest as one of the 
actor’s transients. Robert Thurs¬ 
ton is a jauntily casual valet, and 
William Traylor nets yocks as a 
bumptiouf young author, a part 
that , has no relation to the play 
whatsoever. Geor. i 


Maybe Tuesday 

- Ethel Linder R:einer & J*ck Lawrence 
presentation of three-act ‘ (seven scenes) 
comedy by MeF Tolkin and Lucille Kallen. 
Staged by EUiot Silverstein; scenery, and 
lighting, Paul Morrison; costumes, Ann 
Roth. Features .Richard Derr, Patricia 
Smith. Alice! Ghostley, Sybil Lamb. Brett 
Somers, Myra Carter, Midge Ware, Zohra 
Lampert* Ralph Bell,. Robert Elston. Wynn 
Pearce, Barry -Newman. At Playhouse. 
N.Y., Jan. 29, *58; $6.90 top Friday-Satur- 
day 'nights. $5.75 weeknlghts ($6.90 open¬ 
ing).. 

Mildred .. Myra Carter 

Florence .... Brett Somers 

Jackie■ J.......:...... Midge Ware 

Vivian ... Sybil Lamb 

Adelle ... *.. Zohra Lampert 

Leonard ............... Louis Edmonds 

Katy .............. Patricia Smith 

Mark ........... Richard Derr 

Dr. Roper --Ralph Bell 

Sherman .................. Robert Elston 

Lois .Alice Ghostley 

Arthur Wynn Pearce 

Larry .... Barry Newman 

Miss KitcheU (offstage voice) 

Carl Gustafson 


A good play nowadays should be 
[ about something. It should have 
something to say, something worth 
listening to.. Gone are the days of 
the inane little plays about nothing 
—gone with the $2 orchestra seat 
and helpless women. 

"Maybe Tuesday” also violates 
an older, more basic rule. It hasn’t 
any characters you like, or care 
about. It has a lot of jokes, includ¬ 
ing a few good ones, hut it involves 
nothing more momentous than 
whether the semi-adult juvenile 
can persuade the willful not-so-in- 
genuous Ingenue to riiarry him. 

True, it does have a message, 
too, namely that a woman's place 
is in the home and that a man 
knows best. It’s riot polite, of 
course, but co-authors Mel Tolkin 
and Lucille Kalleri are best known 
as writers of the Sid Caesar tele¬ 
vision show for eight years.. It’s 
video material. 

A strange assortment of actors 
has, been assembled for this minor 
antic, arid afflicted with awkward 
direction by Elliot Silverstein, who 
took ..over from Paul Stewart dur¬ 
ing the tryout tour. With Holly¬ 
wood fattening, script could per¬ 
haps have the makings of a divert¬ 
ing low-budget picture arid is a 
potential for stock. 

“Mayhe Tuesday" is a sort of. 
non-theatrical edition of "Stage 
Door,” the Edna Ferber-George S. 
Kaufman hit of 1936-37. Instead of 
a boarding house for young 
actresses, the locale is a communal 
apartment foi* young working 
women. Also, the seven young ten- 
anti aren’t looking for stage jobs, 
but.are frantically on the prowl for 
rrien, preferably but; not necessarily 
husbands. 

. One girl, the one Who interests 
the authors and Issupposed to con¬ 
cern the audience, wants a career 
rather than to settle down in the 
suburbs with the maternity, kitchen, 
supermarket and PTA routine. 
When she learns that she’s preg¬ 
nant there are a few synthetic 
complications before she agrees to 
marry her lover, and the curtain 
is delayed long enough for the au¬ 
thors to get across their big theriie 
(Continued, on page 77) 


Showboat Goes Collegiate 

. Minneapolis, Feb. 4. 

. The Federal Health, Education 
and Welfare Dept, has agreed to 
turn over to the U. of Minnesota a 
veteran Mississippi ' . steam¬ 

boat, the General John S. Newton, 
for conversion into and rise as a 
floating showboat. 

RefurbishecPby the U. of Minne¬ 
sota Theatfe, the showboat will ply 
the upper river in the summer, 
stopping at various towns to pre¬ 
sent plays. 

There had been other applicants 
fbr the boat, hut the university 
won put. .j 


So They Say 

"'Sunrise at Campobello* is an altogether lovely work for the 
theatre—and this notice is written by a black Republican who hated 
much of what FDR did and tried to db.”—John Chapman, critic 
of the N.Y. Daily News. 

"Got a blonde French girl and $900 worth of booze I got at cost 
from a liquor store friend who was going out of business. Can’t 
drink the booze right now because I’m on a diet.”.—Jack Warden, 
featured male lead in "Body Beautiful,” as quoted by Charles Mc- 
Harry in the N.Y. Daily News. 


"The most important thing for a writer is to try to give as little 
time as possible to self-pity."—Sherwood Anderson, as quoted by 
Christopher Sergei, adapter of the late novelist’s "Winesburg, 
Ohio," in a by-line article in the N.Y. Times, 

Christopher Sergei makes a living—and a very good one too- 
grinding out plays for colleges, schools and church groups, it-s 
hack writing,’ he says candidly, of the 25 he has written," Don 
.Ross, in an interview in the N.Y. Herald Tribune. 

"Some students of the Method start looking for the truth, hut 
what they don’t realize is that while the naturalistic was of finding 
the small, everyday truth is fine as’ far as it goes, it stops short of 
being inspiring art. What the actor must do is live with that per¬ 
sonal, little truth until It becomes illumined—larger than life it¬ 
self.”—Barbara Bulgakov, as quoted by Arthur Gelb, in the N*Y, 
Times. 

"All my life, I’ve been stage-struck. I was always a little ashamed 
of it, but I was always secretly delighted when a play got a good 
roasting from the critics. It. meant that I’d be able to pick up a sec¬ 
ond balcony seat for 20c in Gray’s basement. Quality was out of 
my reach, and I became a walking encyclopedia of bad plays, the 
20-centers that were the backbone of Gray’s 25 minutes before cur¬ 
tain time. I was 17 before I saw a good show."—AI Morgan, co-au¬ 
thor of. the book of “Oh Captain/’ in a. by-line article in the N.Y. 
Herald Tribune. 


"To most people the phrase ‘undergraduate acting’ means only 
one thing: a. fresh-faced youth in sagging tights, carrying his hands 
about like York hams tied to his wrists and declaririg through 
mild summer drizzle the verse of some rightly neglected ininor 
Jacobean.”—Kenneth Tynan, critic of the London Observer. 


"The calculated and self-conscious construction of. an* "artistic’ 
atmosphere is—as Hecht is finally compelled to show us^-just as 
likely to produce tosspots as poets, and it is even likelier to pro¬ 
duce fakes, the fringe-people who adopt the attitudes of a profes¬ 
sion without ever doing the work of a profession. Art, as it turns 
out, isn’t the by-product Of any one environment; it comes from the 
damnedest places, including cork-filled rooms, and we’re not apt 
to bring it back into being by building the right-size beer halls.” 
—Walter Kerr, drama critic of the N.Y. Herald Tribune, in a col¬ 
umn referring to Ben Hecht’s off-Broadway play, "Winkelberg.” 


The Entertainer 

Boston, Jan. 28. 

David Merrick, In assn, with English 
Stage Co. and L. O. P. Ltd.. presentation 
of three-act (12 scenes) drama with music, 
by John Osborne. Stars Laurence Olivier, 
George Relph, Brenda de Banzie. Joan 
Plowright; features Richard Pasco, Guy 
Spaull, Peter Donat. Staged by Tohy 
Richardson; music, John Addison; set- 
ting, Alan Tagg; lighting, Tharon Musser; 
costumes, Clare Jeffery; musical director, 
Gershon Kingsley. At Shubert Theatre, 
Boston* Jan. 28, '58; $6.25 top. 

Billie Rica .. George Relph 

Jean Rice ..;.. Joan Plowright 

Archie Rice .Laurence Olivier 

Phoebe Rico .».. Brenda De Banzie 

Frank Rice ... Richard Pasco 

Britannia.. Jerl Archer 

William Rice .. Guy Spaull 

Graham . Peter Donat 

Laurence Olivier registers a tri¬ 
umph with his spectacular per¬ 
formance as Archie Rice, British 
heel counterpart of "Pal joey,” in 
John Osborne’s "The Entertainer.” 
The show had a two-year London 
run and is here for a two-week run 
prior to Broadway. First U.S. un¬ 
veiling of Osborne’s new play in-, 
dicates that it’s a sure followup for 
his current Broadway smash, "Look 
Back in Anger.” 

Olivier is standout in a fascinat¬ 
ing performance depicting a third- 
rate music hall comic, morally rot¬ 
ten, and aptly described by his 
daughter as "a bastard on Wheels.” 
This is Olivier’s first stage appear¬ 
ance in Boston and he pours out 
some powerful acting working as 
the tired, hammy arid somewhat 
pathetic British song and dance 
man in front of a backdrop of three 
painted near-nudes. He hoofs, 
pipes and does standup comedy in 
integrated episodes, highlight of 
show, in contrast to confusing story 
line that American audiences may 
find difficult to follow. 

Dialog is laced with sexy refer¬ 
ences' and a brief glimpse of a 
practically nude femme billed as 
“Britannia" (censor made her don 
a bra after opening night). Some 
of the snappers Olivier uses in the 
music hall routine bring blushes 
in staid Boston, arid the censor 
made some cuts. Story line deals 
with the debt-plagued British corn- 
ball, sopping up alcohol, spouting 
philosophies ranging from politics 
to sex, uncaring, unfeeling for 
those around, him* touched only by 
a son killed in the recent’ .Suez 
conflict. 

The Osborne piay swims with 
language and Olivier steps out 
from bickering family scenes in 
poverty row digs to go on as the 
vaudevillian with the cheap jokes 
arid, swaggering deVil-may-care 
mannerisms iri ( exjti;eqi^ly . cleyer 


staging; Archie Rice is hardly a 
sympathetic character. He seeks 
to divorce his wife to marry a teen¬ 
ager, uses his father unscrupulous¬ 
ly and cruelly to further his pro¬ 
ducing arnbitions, swills booze, 
lusts for women, and makes in¬ 
cestuous advances towards his own 
daughter. 

Neyerthless, there are moments 
in Olivier’s great portrayal when 
intense sympathy is evoked. Par¬ 
ticularly in the scene wlten news of 
his son’s death is received, and in 
the pathetic, resigned acceptance 
of his fate. The show’s unorthodox 
framework ^breaks from living room 
to music hall as characters deliver 
ShaVianisms ranging from politics 
and religion to sex. Undertone is 
anger. 

. Olivier’s performance is a mas¬ 
terpiece. He is nicely paced by 
Brenda De Banzie, who turns in 
honey of a portrayal as his gin- 
soaked wife. Olivier’s “Archi 
Rice" is belittling, blasphemous, 
burlesquing, contemptuous and de¬ 
crying. Miss De Banzie, as the 
maudlin, morbid and lamenting 
spouse, has some tremendous 
scenes as she rebels and reproaches 
his flippancies and floutings and 
reveals her fear of old age, lorieli- 
ness arid death. 

George Relph is fine as the "old 
pro," Archie’s father, who tries 
hard to remain patient and digni¬ 
fied despite his son’s wenchirig and 
his daughter-in-law’s irascibility. 
Joan Plowright has a difficult role 
: as .the daughter to whom the comio 
unmasks himself. She is fine in this 
talky, strange-relationship part. 
Richard Pasco turns in a nice act¬ 
ing job as the pacifist son. Guy 
Spaull Is fine as the brother. arid 
Peter Donat has a good hit as the. 
daughter’s fiance* 

John Addison’s music is typical 
iriusichallariia. Alan Trigg’s settings 
are fine* with dreriry lodgings with 
neon signs peeking through, rowdy, 
music hall backdrop and behind 
scririi tableaux. Clare Jeffery’s 
costumes seem ^ust right. Toiiy 
Richardson’s staging Is in the'right 
direction for American audiences. 

Guy .... 


Alexander B. Paterson, longtime 
Scot journalist, and director of the 
Byre - Theatre, St. Andrews, Scot¬ 
land, was awarded Membership of 
British Empire in Queen's Honors 
list. He founded the Byre, a former 
cowshed, 24 years ago. It is 
smallest .professional theatre in 
U.K., having a stage orily 12 feet 
square, and seating accommoda¬ 
tion for 74. 
















































75 


VcJncflJay, Yebruirj 5, 1955 USSfET? 


LEGITIMATE 


Chicago, Feb; 

•With five houses lit, Chicago was 
booming last week In what is turn¬ 
ing out to be a better than average 
legit season. "Happiest. Million¬ 
aire-?' although it opened to four 
pans, did moderately as a Guild 

en,t ‘Middle of the Night" held 
steady, and closes this Saturday ( 8 ) 
to resume tour. “Separate Tables” 
rallied to a fair final week at the 
Blackstone. ...... 

Still Strong, "Long Day’s Journey 
Into Night” at the Erlanger' has 
posted a Feb. 15 closing notice and 
will continue on the road; Show 
has dropped Monday performances 
in favor of a Saturday matinee, 
keeping the total to seven shows 
per week. “My Fair Lady" re¬ 
mained hot at the Shubert. 

“Most Happy Fella” opens to¬ 
night (Tues.J, Marcel Marc e a u 
comes in Feb. 18 at the Great 
Northern for three weeks, and 
•‘Compulsion” is due Feb. 26. at the 
Erlanger with the Broadway cast. 

Estimates for Last Week 
Happiest Millionaire, Harris (C) 
(1st wk) ($5.50; 1,000; $30,500) 
(Walt r Pidgeon). Nearly $22,500 
on subscription; the tourer grossed 
$19,400 in seven performancesJhe 
previous week at -the Pabst, Mil¬ 
waukee. . ■: •' 

Long Day's Journey Into Night, 
Erlanger (D) (4th wk) ($5; 1,330; 
$32,800) (Fay Bainter, Anew Mc- 
-Master). Over $22,800; previous 
week’ $28,763. - , 

Middle of the Night, Great 
Northern (D) (2d wk) ($5.50; 1,500; 
$35,726) (Edward G. Robinson). 
Nearly $31,200 in second Guild 
week; previous week, $26,978; 
closes Saturday ( 8 ) to continue 
tour. 

My Fair Lady, Shubert (MC) 
(13th wk) ($7; 2,100; $72,979) (Brian 
Aherne, Anne Rogers). Nearly. 
$72,900; previous "week, $71,600. 

Separate Tables, Blackstone (CD) 
(3d wk) ($5; 1,450; $37 ? 3p6) (Eric 
Portman, Geraldine Page). Almost 
$23,400; previous week, $17,500; i 
folded Saturday (1). 

Opening This Week 
Most Happy Fella, Blackstone 
(MB) ($7; 1,425; $58,700) (Robert! 
Weede). Opens today (Tues.) with 
over $ 100,000 advance, about $67^ 
000 of which is on full-price Guild 
subscription over first three weeks. 

’GOGGLE’ $3,600, FOLDS; 
INTERLOCK’ $9,400, DC. 

. Washington, Feb. 4. 
Both local, legit houses are dark 
this week, following brutal trade 
last week, but both relight next 
Monday (10), the Shubert with one 
week of Katharine- Hepburn and 
Alfred Drake in “Much Ado About 
Nothing” and the National with 
"Waltz of the Toreadors.” 

"This Is Goggle,” folded after a 
single week tryout at the Shubert, 
cancelling out the scheduled sec¬ 
ond week. “Interlock,” also On try-? 
out, went through a thin second 
week and headed for New York. 
Although its producers had. also 
considered folding the preceding 
week. 

Estimates for Last Week 
This Is Goggle, Shubert (C) ( 1 st 
Wk) ($4.95-$4.40; 1,550; $36,000) 
(Kim Hunter, James Daly). Slight 
$3,600 following three pans (Coe, 
Post; Carmody, Star; Donnelly, 
News); folded after the single 
week. 

Interlock, National, (D) (2d wk) 
($4.40-$4.95; 1,667; $34,000) (Cel¬ 
este : Holm, Maximilian Schell, 
Rosemary Harris). Tired $9,400; 
previous week, $ 12 , 000 ; moved to 
•N-w York.- 


Bns-Trnck ‘Sgts/ $53,200 
In 8-Show South Split 

Birmingham, Feb. 4. 
The bus-and-truck company of. 
“No. Time for Sergeants” grossed 
a powerful $53,200 In four-way, 
eight-performance split last Week. 
Dates played, with grosses listed 
parenthetically, were as follows:. 

One performance Monday (27), 
U. ; of Tennessee, Knoxville, ($10,- 
000); three performances Tuesday- 
Wednesday (28-29), Tennessee The¬ 
atre, Nashville ($15,900); one per¬ 
formance Thursday (30), Tuscaloosa 
(Ala.) High School Auditorium 
($7,200) and three performances,. 
Temple Theatre, here ($20,100). 

Toreadors’3% ' 



’5G, PhiDy 


Tunnel’ Perks to $11,500 
In 17th Week in Frisco 

San Francisco, Feb. 4.. 

Randolph Hale’s Coast version of 
Tunnel of Love” jumped nicely, 
well above the breaking point. 

Noel Coward’s "Nude with Vio¬ 
lin” (alternating with "Present 
-Laughter”) opens at the . Curran 
next Tuesday ( 11 ) for four weeks. 
Joyce Grenfell is slated for Feb. 
13-15 at the Geary. Edward G. Rob¬ 
inson, will open March 10 in "Mid¬ 
dle of the Night” at the Curran and 
Marcel Marceau starts a two-week 
run March 11 at the Geary. . 

Estimate for Last Week 

Tunnel of Love, Alcazar (17th. 
£k> ($4.40; 1,147; $32,000) (Russell 
Nype, William Bishop). Okay $ 11 ,- 
500; previous week, $10,000. 

Rodney Millington, director of 
the British Casting Directory for 
? ta Se and Screen, is due Feb. 13 
in New York for his annual show- 
catching visit. ■: ' 


Philadelphia, Feb. 4.. 

Boxoffice ratio in Philly last 
week was . one hit, two misses and 
one so-so, ’Waltz of the Torea¬ 
dors” was a fast sellout, with 
"Portpfino” and “Cloud 7” just 
about getting by going begging 
and “Day the Money Stopped.” 

Crowded future calendar in¬ 
cludes “Blue Denim/’ Locust, and 
"Visit to a Small. Planet,” Forrest, 
both due next Monday ( 10 ); a 
return of “Diary of Ann Frank,” 
Walnut, Feb. 17 and "No Time for 
Sergeants," Forrest, Feb. 24. 
Estimates for Last week 

Portofino, Erlanger (MC) (2d wk) 
($ 6 ; 1,880; $53,000) (Georges 

Guetary, Helen Gallagher, Robert 
Strauss). Under $12,000; previous 
week, ^5,400 for the Saturday (25) 
premiere. 

Waltz of the'Toreadors, Forrest 
(C) (1st wk) ($4.80;: 1,760); (Melvyn 
Douglas, Betty Field, Lili DarVas). 
Touring comedy drew praise from 
all three aisle sitters (Gaghan; 
News; Murdock, Inquirer; de- 
Schauenese, Bulletin), with special 
salvos for Douglas; over $35,000; 
continues this week. 

Cloud 7, -Locust St.; (C). (2d wk) 
($4.80); i;580; $43,000) (Ralph 

Meeker, Martha Scott). Tryout got 
a. painful $5,000; previous week, 
$7,300 for 5 performances; moves 
out Saturday ( 8 ) for Broadway. 

Day the Money Stopped, Walnut, 
(C) ( 1 st wk) ($4.80; 1,340; $33,000) 
(Richard . Basehart, Mildred Nat-' 
wick, Kevin McCarthy). Maxwell 
Anderson dramatization of the 
Brendan Gill bestseller rated two 
thumbs down (deSchanenese, Bul¬ 
letin; Gaghan, News) and one so-so 
notice (Murdock, Inquirer); modest 
$12,700; leave town. Saturday ( 8 ) 
to continue tryout in Boston. 

Opening This Week 

Who Was That Lady I Saw You 
With; Shubert (C) ($5.40; 1,760; 
$53,000). (Peter Lind Hayes, Mary 
Healy, Ray Walston); Norman 
Krasna comedy premieres tomor¬ 
row night (Wed). 

‘FELLA’HAPPY $49,500 
ON SOLO WEEK, CINCY 

Cincinnati, Feb. 4. 

"Most Happy Fella” grossed a 
nice $49,500 last week at a $5.09 
top at the 2 . 000 -seat Shubert Thea¬ 
tre here. It was the highest take 
at the house in . two years. 

The theatre has “Diary of Anne 
Frank” this week, but the Taft and 
Cox remain da rk. 

‘Methuselah’ Hot $49,700 
For Six One-Nighters 

Cleveland, Feb; 4. 

"Back to Methuselah,” costarrine 
Tyrone Power, Faye Emerson and 
Arthur Treacher, grossed a nifty 
$ 40,700 last week in a string of six 
one-nighters. Dates played, with 
grossed listed parenthetically, were 
as follows. : 

Monday (27), Ryman Auditorium, 
Nashville ($7,600); Tuesday (28), 
Memorial Auditorium, Louisville 
($5,700); Wednesday (29), Munici¬ 
pal Auditorium, Charles^ W. Va. 

($10,300): Thursday (30),. Keith- 
Albce, Huntington, W. Va. .($3,500); 
Friday (31), Veterans’ Auditorium, 
Columbus, O. ($12,300); Saturday 


'Winesborg’ Fair $16,800, 
7 Performances, Balto 

Baltimore, Feb. 4. 

"Winesburg, Ohio,” in a seven- 
performance tryout without sub¬ 
scription, did modest biz here last 
week. The drama drew only fair 
notices (Pahtell, Evening Sun; 
Gardner, Morning Sun; Clark, 
News-Post). 

“Cloud 7,” starring Ralph Meek¬ 
er and Martha Scott; opened last 
night (Mon.), and Constance Ben¬ 
nett Yellows with "Aunti: Marne.” 

Estimate for Last Week 

Winesburg, Ohio, Ford’s (D) (7 
perfs.) ($4.22; 1,819; $33,000) (Doro¬ 
thy McGUire, Leon Ames,. James 
Whitmore). Moderate $16,800. 


V 


‘Sgts.’$25,100, Hub 

. Boston, Feb. 4. 

Boston had three shows on the 
bpards last week and the same line¬ 
up continues this week. Due in 
town next Monday (10) are “Day 
The Money Stopped,” at the Wil¬ 
bur, and “Back to Methuselah” at 
the Shubert. "Much Ado About 
Nothing” arrives Feb. 17 at the 
Shubert; “International Soiree,” 
Feb. 24, Wilbur, and Ballet Russe 
at an. unspecified date, Colonial. 

Estimates for Last Week 

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Wilbur 
(D) (4th wk) ($4.95; 1,241; $32,699) 
(Victor Jory). Management 
couldn’t be reached, but the tourer 
reportedly slipped to $19,300; pre¬ 
vious week, $26,500; moves out 
Saturday ( 8 ): 

No Time For Sergeants, Colonial 
(C) (1st wk) ($4,95-$4.40; 1,500; 
$38,958): Return engagement got. 
$25,100 for the opener; continues 
through Feb. 22. 

Entertainer, Shubert (D) (1st wk) 
Wk) ($6.25; 1,717; $56,000) (Lau¬ 
rence Olivier, George Relph, Bren¬ 
da de Banzie, Joan Plowright). 
British import nabbed five rave re¬ 
views (Doyle, American; Durgin, 
Globe; Hughes,. Herald; Maloney, 
Traveler; Melvin, Monitor) and 1 
one cheer for Olivier, blit negative 
on. the. play (Norton, Record). Sell¬ 
out $51,600 on five evenings and 
three matinees; continues through 
Saturday ( 8 ) and then exits for 
Broadway. 


FOR FIRST WEEK, Pin 

Pittsburgh, Feb. 4. 
The-touring "Auntie Mame’Vgot 
away to a swift start here last 
week, with the take apparently 
limited by subscription reduced 
price. It should do better for. the 
non-subscription current week. 

"Diary of Anne Frank” opens 
next Monday ( 10 ) and the touring 
edition of “Long Day’s. Journey 
Into Night” is due Feb. 17, also on 
subscription: 

Estimate for Last Week 
Auntie Marne, Nixon (C) ( 1 st wk) | 
($5.90r$4.95; 1,760; $48,000) (Con¬ 
stance Bennett). Tourer opened 
the local run to two raves (Mon¬ 
ahan,. Press; Krug, Sun-Tele) and 
one luke-warmer (Cohen, Post-Gaz¬ 
ette); after the usual slow start, 
got a fine $39,800; moves out next! 
Saturday ( 8 ) to continue tour. 


Canadian Ballet $24,400 

Toronto, Feb. 4- 

With sellouts for four nights the 
latter part of the week, plus Satur¬ 
day ( 1 ) matinee. National Ballet of 
Canada had its best week of foUr- 
I weeks’engagement at Royal Alex- 
! andra’ Theatre, this due mainly 'to 
! word-of-mouth. Troupe of BO. is 
current at the Grand, London; prior 
to U. S. tour. 

Estimate, for Last Week: 

. National Ballet of Canada, Royal 
Alexandra (4th wk) ($3.50; 1,525; 
$30,000). Grossed $24,400; this to 
tailing $74,190 for the four weeks. 


SCHEDULED N Y. OPENINGS 

BROADWAY 

(Theatres Set) 

Cloud Smn, Golden (2-11-58). 
Entertainer, Royale (2-12-58). 

Annlo Cot Your Gun, Center (2-19-58). 
Day Money Stopped, Belasco (2-20-58). 
Walts Toreadors, Coronet (2-25-58). 

Blue Denim, Playhouse (2-27-58). .. 

Who Was That Lady, Beck (3-3-58). 
Wonderful Town, Center (3-5-58). 
International Soiree, Bijou (3-12-58). 
Methuselah, Ambassador (wk; 3-2358). 
Say Dartlns, ANTA (4-358). 

Joyce Grenfell (wk. 4-7-58). 

Oklahoma, Center (31358).. .. 

Leva Ma Llftla, Hayes (4358). 

. (Theatres Not Set) 

Hearts A Dollars (4358). 

Firstborn (wk. 4-28-58). 

OFF-BROADWAY 

King’s Standards, Blacfcfriars (2-12-58). 
OMigatto, Theatre Marquee (2-18:58). 
Enemy People: ProvUicetown (2-25-58). 
Dark of Mood, Carnegie (325-58). 
Power of Dreams, Sullivan St, <3-4-58). 


•Body’34G,‘Night’21^,‘Anger’20G, 


__» PIC OAA 


New hits continue to bolster 
Broadway. Business, however, 
wais spotty last week for the mid¬ 
dle-bracket grossers and steady for 
the few marginal entries. 

The lineup of sellouts or virtual 
capacity entries included "Auntie 
Marne,” "‘Dark at the Top of the 
Stairs,” "Jamaica,” "Look Home¬ 
ward, Angel,” "Music Man,’’ "My 
Fair Lady,” "Tiine Remembered,” 
"Two for the Seesaw,” ‘West Side 
Story” and the opener, “Sunrise at 
r Campobello.” 

Estimates for Last Week 
Keys: oiCbmedy ), D (Drama), 
CD ( Comedy-Drama ), R (Revue ), 
MC ( Musical-Comedy )., MD (Musi¬ 
cal-Drama), O (Opera ), OP (Op¬ 
eretta). 

Other parenthetic designations 
refer, respectively, to weeksplayqd, 
number of performances through 
last Saturday, top prices (where 
two prices are. given, the higher is 
for Friday-Saturday nights and. the 
lower for weeknights), number 
of seats, capacity gross and stars. 
Price includes 10% Federal and 
5% City tax, but grosses axe net; 
i.e., exclusive of. taxes. 

Auntie Maine,. Broadhurst (C) 
(60th wk; 469 p) ($6.90; 1,214; $46,- 
500) Greer Garson). Previous week, 
$47,000, after some refunds for one 
performance missed by Miss Gar- 
son; last week, nearly $47,500. 

Bells Are Ringing; Shubert (MC) 
(62d wk; 492 p) ($8.05; 1,453; 
$58,101) (Judy Holliday). Previous 
week, $58,400; last week, over 
$56,600. 

Body Beautiful, Broadway (MC) 
(2d wk; 12 p) ($8.05; 1,900; $74,000). 
Previous Week,- $25,000 for first 
four performances; last week, over 
$34,000. 

Compulsion, Ambassador (D) 
(15th wk; llfi p) ($5.75-$6.90; 1,155; 
$36,200) (Frank Conroy, Roddy Mc¬ 
Dowell, Dean Stockwell). Previous 
week, $29,000; last week, nearly 
$30,000. Closes Feb. 22 and is 
scheduled to reopen Feb. 26 in 
Chicago. 

Dark at the Top of^the' Stairs; 
Music Box (D> (9th wk; 68 p) ($5.75- 
$6.90; 1,010; $33,000). Previous 

week, $33,600; . last week, over 
$33,700, With parties. 

- Fair Game; Lonacre (C) (13th 
wk; 105 p) ($5.75-$6.90; 1,101; $32,- 
000) (Sam Levene). Previous week, 
$25,900; last week, $25,100. 

- Jamaica,. Imperial (MC) (14th wk; 
108 p) ($8.35; 1,427; $63,000) (Lena 
Horne, Ricardo Mantalban). As 
usual, $63,700. " 

LiT Abner* St. James (MC) (64th 
wk; 508 p) ($8.05; 1,615; $58,100) 
Previous week, $44,800; last week, 
almost $44,100. 

Long Day’s Journey Into Night, 

Hayes (D) (57th Wk; 342 p) ($6.90; 
1,039; $30;000) (Fredric March, 
Florence Eldridge). Previous week, 
$18,000; last week, hearljri$21,50O. 
Closes March 27. 

Look Back in Anger, Lyceum (D) 
(18th wk; 143. p) ($5.75; 995; $26,- 
400) (Mary Ure, Kenneth Haigh). 
Previous week, $19,000; last week;. 
Over $20,000. 

Look Homeward Angel, Barry¬ 
more (D) (loth wk; 76 p) ($6.90; 
1,076; $40,716) (Anthony Perkins, 
Jo Van Fleet, Hugh Griffith). Pre¬ 
vious week,. 41,100; last week, 
nearly $41,000. 

Marcel Marceau, City Center (2d 
wk; 16 p) ($3.80; 3,090; $61,812). 
Previous week, $40,000 for first 
eight performances; last week, 
over $46,400. 

Miss Isobel, Royale (D) ( 6 th wk; 
45 p) ($5.75-$6.90; 1,050; $35,000) 
(Shirley Booth).,, Previous Week, 
$i2,400; last , week, over $12,300. 
Closes next Saturday ( 8 ): 

Music Man, Majestic (MC) (7th 
wk; 52 p) ($8:05; 1,626; $68,658). 
Previous week, $68,100; last week, 
almost $ 68 , 000 , with parties 
.. My Fair Lady, Hellinger (MC) 
(99th wk; 787 p) ($8.05; 1,551; $ 68 ,- 
210) (Edward Mulhare, Julie An¬ 
drews). Previous week, $69,200; 
last week, same. Show is selling 20 
balcony seats, at each performance, 
to students at 70c a ticket. Miss 
Andrews exited her costarring as¬ 
signment last Saturday d), with 
Sally Ann Howes coming in as her 
successor. 

New Girl in Town, 46th St. (MD) 
(38th wk; 303 p) <$8.06-$9.20; 1,297; 
$59,085) (Gwen Verdon, ThClma 
Ritter). Previous week, $47,800; 
last week, over $43,800. 

Nude With Violin; Belasco (C) 
(12th wk; 78 P) ($5.75-$6.90; 1,037; 
$33,000) (Noel Coward). Previous 
week, $7,800 for four perform¬ 
ances; last week; almost $8,600 for 
two performances of "Present 
Laughter” and one performance of. 


"Nude.” Exits next Saturday ( 8 ) 
and resumes in San Francisco next 
Tuesday (11). 

Romanoff and Juliet; Plymouth 
(C) (17th wk; 132 p) ($5.75-$6.25; 
1,062; $36,625). (Peter Ustinov). 
Previous week, $32,000; last week, 
nearly $32,700. 

Rope Dancers, Miller’s (D) (11th 
wk; 85 p) ($5.75-$6.90; 944; $27,- 
850) (Siobhan McKenna, Art Car¬ 
ney). . Previous week, $16,900 at 
the Cort. Last week almost $16,- 
800. Joseph Julian subbed for 
Carney at the Wednesday (29) 
matinee. 

Summer of the 17ih Doll, Coro¬ 
net (D) (2d wk; 13 p) ($6,90; 1,101; 
$35,040). Previous week, $19,100 
for first five performances and two 
previews; last week, oper $15,300. 
Has to vacate theatre Feb. 22, 

Sunrise at Campobello, Cort (D) 
(1st wk; 4 p) ($6.90; 1,155; $36,000) 
(Ralph Bellamy). Opened last 
Thursday (30) to unanimously fa-„ 
vorable reviews (Aston, Worlds 
Telegram; Atkinson, Times; Chap¬ 
man, News; Coleman, Mirror; Kerr, 
Herald Tribune; McClain, Joumal- 
American; Watts, Post); nearly 
$26,000 for first four performances 
and-two previews. 

Time Remembered, Morosco (C) 
(12th wk; 95 p) ($9.90; 946; $43,- 
000) (Helen Hayes, Richard Bur¬ 
ton, Susan Strasberg). Previous 
week, $43,100; last week, nearly 
$42,700. 

Tniinel of Love, National (C) 
(49th wk; 393 p) ($5.75; 1,162; $33,- 
000) (Johnny Carson, Marsha Hunt). 
Previous week, $11,800; last week, 
almost $12,500. Moved yesterday 
(Tues.) to the Martin Beck where 
it closes Feb. 23. 

Two for the Seesaw, Booth (CD) 
(3d wk; 20 p) ($6.90; 780; $31,700) 
(Henry Fonda). Previous week, 
$29,000, after about $2,000 in re¬ 
funds, for seven performances 
missed by Fonda; last week, near¬ 
ly $31,600, with parties. 

West Side Story, Winter Garden 
(MD) (19th wk; 148 p) ($8.05; 1,404; 
$63,203). Previous week, $62,900; 
last week, almost $60,400, with par¬ 
ties. 

Opening This Week 

Infernal Machine. Phoenix (D) 
($4.60; 17150 ; $29,392) (June Havoc, 
John Kerr). Albert Bermel’s adap¬ 
tation of Jean Cocteau’s play, pre¬ 
sented by the Phoenix Theatre as 
the fourth entry in its fifth season; 
opened last Monday night (3). 

Oh Captain, Alvin (MC) ($8.35- 
$9.20; 1,331; $60,000). Howard Mer¬ 
rill & Theatre Corp. of America 
production of musical with book 
by A1 Morgan and Jose. Ferrer and 
music and lyrics by Jay Livingston 
and Ray Evans; production financed 
at $300,000, is figured-to have cost 
more than that to bring in; can 
break even at around $30,000 gross 
and net about $ 12,000 at capacity; 
opened last night (Tues ). 

•"Winesburg, Ohio, National (D) 
($5.75-$6.90; 1,162; $38,876) (Doro¬ 
thy McGuire, Leon Ames, James 
Whitmore). S. L. Adler, Albert P. 
Brodax and Yvette Schumer pres¬ 
entation of. Christopher Sergei’s 
dramatization of Sherwood Ander¬ 
son’s novel; production financed at 
$ 100 , 00 . 0 , is figured to have cost 
about $ 120,000 to bring in, after an 
approximate $30,000 out-of-town 
loss; can break even at an esti¬ 
mated $ 20,000 gross and net around 
$7,000 at capacity; opens tonight 
(Wed.). 

Interlock, ANTA (D) ($5.75; 1,- 
185; $38,690) (Celeste Holm, Maxi- 
millian Schell, Rosemary Harris). 
Richard Myers, Julius Fleischmann. 
& Walter N. Trenerry presentation 
of a play by Ira Levin; production 
financed at $96,000 (including 20% 
overcall), cost about $70,000 to 
bring in, after an approximate $ 20 ,- 
000 out-of-town loss; can break 
even at around $17,000 gross and 
net about $14,000 at capacity; 
opens tomorrow night (Thurs.). 

Closed Last Week 

Maybe Tuesday, Playhouse 1 (C) 
(1st wk; 5 p) <$5.75-$6.90; 996; $3l t - 
000). Opened last Wednesday (29) 
to one affirmative notice (Aston, 
World-Telegram) and six negative 
(Atkinson, Times; Chapman, News; 
Coleman, Mirror; Kerr, Herald 
Tribune; McClain, Joumal-Ameri- 
can; Watts, Post); almost $6,700 
for first five, performances and 
closed last Saturday ( 1 ) at an ap¬ 
proximate loss of its entire $90,- 
000 capitalization. 


* Aaron Frankel will succeed Ram¬ 
sey Burch as managing director of 
the Margo Jones Theatre, Dallas, 
when, the latter withdraws from 
that’assignment May 25. 


76 


IJBGITtMAtE 


PSsuEfr 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


The Infernal Machine 

Phoenix Theatre revival of two-act 
tragedy by Jean Cocteau, as adapted by 
Albert Bermel. Stars June Havoc. John 
Kerr; features - Jacob Ben-Ami, Philip. 
Boumeuf. Earle Hyman, Joan McCracken, 
Clarice Blackburn, Roberts Blossom, Peter 
Brandon, Albert Paulson, Martin Rudy. 
Gene Saks, Klmetha' Laurie. Bill- Penn. 
Staged' by Herbert Berghof; settings, Ming 
Cho Lee; costumes. Alvin. Colt; lighting, 
Tharon Musser. At Phoenix Theatre, N.Y., 
Feb. 3, '58; $4.60 top. 

Voice ".. Claude Dauphin 

Young Soldier.Peter Brandon 

Soldier . Albert Paulson. 

Captain of the Patrol.. --Gene Saks. 

Queen Jocasta ... - . June Havoc 

Teiresias. the High Priest. .Philip Boumeuf 
Ghost of Laius ........... Earle -Hyman 

Sphinx __„. Joan McCracken 

Anubis . • .. . .. Roberts Blossom 

Theban Mother....... .Clarice Blackburn 


Her Son 

Oedipus... 

Drunk .... ........- 

Messenger from Corinth- 

Creon .. 

014 Shepherd 
Antigone 


. Joey Renda. 
. John Kerr 
Byrne Piven 
Bill Penn 

_ Martin Rudy 

...Jacob Ben-Ami 
.. Klmetha Laurie 


The Phoenix Theatre’s revival of 
“The Infernal Machine 0 is a dis¬ 
tinguished effort. That the breath 
of theatrical life does not blow 
vitally through the production is 
not attributable to lack of energy 
or skill on the part of those di¬ 
rectly involved, but to the fact 
that author Jean Cocteau inten¬ 
tionally, kept this re-working of the 
Oedipus legend on an intellectual, 
non-emotional plane. Actually it 
would seem that the Phoenix pro¬ 
duction comes close to fulfilling 
the type of detached theatrical ex¬ 
perience Cocteau had in mind. 

Unlike Sophocles’ “Oedipus.” in 
which only the tragic results of 

g arricide and incest are shown, 
octeau had gone back in the story, 
showing Oedipus’ dead father try¬ 
ing from beyond the grave to warn 
of disaster, Oedipus being charmed 
and tricked by the riddle of the 
Sphinx, and the young King’s wed¬ 
ding night with his mother-wife. 

Not only does Cocteau show the 
story developing thusly, he uses a' 
Narrator to relate it all before it 
happens. At the Phoenix the Nar¬ 
rator. is the filmed face and hands 
and the recorded voice of actor. 
Claude Dauphin, (on lerid-Iease 
from the off Broadway production 
of “Clerambard”). The device has 
its acutest effect when the screened 
hands move over the stage set and 
actors like some huge god arrang¬ 
ing the affairs of puny men. 

Herbert Berghof has staged “In¬ 
fernal Machine” with knowledge 
and brittle energy: He has kept the 
action uncluttered and made capi¬ 
tal use of. Ming Cho Lee’s excellent 
sets that seem to echo the play’s 
moral decay. 

Oedipus is a demanding part for 
John Kerr, but he attacks it with 
willing gusto. Although vocally he 
has occasional difficulty giving the 
part scope, he forges ahead with 
unremitting zeal arid conviction. 
June Havoc appears as the tragic 
queen who unwittingly weds her 
son, the simplicity, and humor of 
her performance, having winning 
appeal. 

The cast is first-rate throughout. 
Joan McCracken’s pixyish Sphinx 
is responsible for the warmer mo¬ 
ments, Clarice Blackburn has wry 
honesty as a Theban mother, Philip 
Bourneuf has good dignity as the 
near-blind high priest, and Jacob 
Ben-Ami has a. few delicate riio- 
ments as the ancient shepherd who 
ultimately reveals to Oedipus the 
overwhelming enormity of the 
crime. * 

For serious theatregoers and for 


seekers of off-beat trends in enter¬ 
tainment, this revival of “The In¬ 
fernal Machine” affords a good 
chance to see a worthy production 
of an unusual play. The Phoenix 
entrepreneurs rate kudos for the 
attempt. * Geor. 


Endgame 

-Noel Behn & Rooftop Productions pres¬ 
entation of One-act tragedy by Samuel 
Beckett. Staged by Alan Schneider; set¬ 
ting, David Hays. At Cherry Lane Theatre, 
N.Y.. Jan. 28. *58; $3.85 top; . , 

Cloy -—........ Alvin Epstein 

Hamm Lester Rawlins 

Nagg ... J. J. Kelly 

Nell ..... Nydla Westman 


The avant-garde always has an 
advantage over more ordinary mor¬ 
tals. It can call the rest of the 
world Philistines. 

There will be acrid debate over 
what Samuel Beckett implies, in¬ 
fers, means, says, in his long one- 
act play, “Endgamft,” As in his 
earlier “Waiting for Godot,” every¬ 
body’s opinion Will be as legitimate 
as the next fellow’s. Or as wrong. 
Obscurantism is a valid, if dubious, 
form of communication that ap¬ 
peals only to the few. As far as 
Beckett Is concerned, "Endgame", 
falls into this area. 

The scene is one of desolation. 
A stage bare to its. back and sidc- 
(Continued on page 77) 


Hepburn-Drake $36,700, 
Single Week in St Loo 

St. Louis, Feb; 4. 

“Much Ado About Nothing,” eo- 
starririg Katharine Hepburn and 
Alfred Drake, grossed a solid $86,- 
7i)0 last week at the American 
Theatre here. The town, incident¬ 
ally, was hit by a blizzard Friday 
night (31). 

John Colicos, a member of the 
company, takes over Drake’s as¬ 
signment when the cpstar with¬ 
draws from; the production next 
Saturday (8) at the conclusion of 
the current week’s stand at the 
Hanna Theatre, Cleveland. 


Schiidkraut Nifty 30G 
On Single Week, Clever 

Cleveland, Feb. 4. 

“Diary of. Anne Frank,” starting 
Joseph Schiidkraut, grossed .a good 
$30,000 last week at the Hanna 
Theatre here. 

The take the previous week at 
the American Theatre, St. Louis, 
was $28,500. 


Of f-B’way Shows 

As you Like It, Heckscher (1-20- 
58). 

Boy Friend, Downtown (1-25-58). 

Brothers Karamazov,'Gate (12-6- 
57). 

Clerambard, Rooftop (11-7-57). 

Courageous One, Greenwich 
Mews (1-20-58). 

Dmitri Karamazov, Jan Hus (1- 
27-58). 

Endgame, Cherry Lane (1-28-58). 

Garden District, York (1-7-58). 

Iceman Cometh, Circle in the 
Square (5-8-56); closes Feb. 23: 

Me Candido, RNA! (1-17-58); 

Threepenny Opera, de Lys (9-25- 
5 d), 

Tobias & Angel, Theatre East 
(1-2-58). 

Winkelberg, Renata (1-14-58). 

Closed Last week 

Julius C a e s a r, Shakespeare- 
wrights (10-23-57). 


Tur Lady* Neat $24,900, 
7-Show Ontario Split 

Hamilton, Orit., Feb. 4. 

“My Fur Lady,” the revamped 
McGill U. tevue, has been touring 
several, smaller Ontario cities dur¬ 
ing the last fortnight. Last. week 
the show grossed a good $24,900 in 
a three-way; seven - performance 
split. 

The take for four performances 
Thursday-Saturday (30-1) at the 
2,700-seat Palace Theatre was $15,- 
400, while the gross for two per¬ 
formances Tuesday-Wednesday (28- 
29) at the-1,618-seat Capitol Thea¬ 
tre, Brantford, was $6,500, Another 
$3,000 was picked up Monday (27) 
night in one performance at the 
1,300-seat Guelph (Ont.) Collegiate 
Auditorium, 

Business the previous week on 
another three-way, seven-perform¬ 
ance split added up to only $15,400. 
The show is current at the Royal 
Alexandra, Toronto* where it be¬ 
gan a two-week stand last night 
(Mon,), the third time at the house. 

British Shows 

. (Figures denote ripening dates) 
LONDON 

At Drop of Hat, Fortune (1-24-57). 

- Bella Ringing# Coliseum (11-14-57). 

Boy Friend, Wyndfiaml <12-1-53) 

Bride A Bachelor. Duchess (12-19-58). 

Cat on Hot Tin Roof, Comedy (1-30.58). 

-Dear Delinquent, Aldwych (6-5-57). 

Dinner With Family, New 02-10-57). 

Dry Rot. WhitehaD <8-31-54) 

Flowering Cherry, Haymarket (11-21-57). 

For Amusomont Only, Apollo (6-5-58). 

. Free As Air, Savoy (6-6-57). 

Grab Mo a Gondola, Lyric (12-26-56). 

Happiest Mill., Cambridge (11-15-57). 

House bv Lake, York's i5-9A6). 

Iceman. COmeth, Arts (1-29-58),. 

Lovebirds, Adelphi 4-20-57). 

Mousetrap, .Ambassadors (11-25-52) 

New Crazy Gang, Vic. Pal. (12-18-58). 

Odd Man I nA St. Martin's (7-16-57). 

Paddle Own Canoe, Criterion (12-4-57). 

Plalsirs De Paris, Wales (4-20-57). 

Rape of Belt; Picadilly (12-12-57). 

Repertory, Old Vic (9-18-57). 

Roar Like a Dove, Phoenix (9-25-57). 

Sailor Beware, Strand (2-16-55). 

SMad Days, Vaudeville (8-5-54). 

•Share My Lettuce, Garrick (9-25-57). 

Stranger in the Sea, Arts (12?27-57). 

Touch Of Sun, Saville . (1-31-58). 

Tunnel of Love, Majesty's (12-3-57). 

•Transferred. 

SCHEDULED OPENI 

Potting Shed, Globe (2-5-58). 

Roseland, St. Martin's (2-12-58). 

Keep Your Hair On, Apollo (2-13-58). 

Where's Charley, Palace (2-20-58). 

Hunter's Moon, Wint. Gard. (2-26-58). 

CLOSED LAST WEEK 

Happy Man, Westminster (12-13-57).* 

Nude With Violin, Globe (11-7-58). 


Current financial status of New York and touring productions 
including closed operations on which payment has recently been 
made. Investment figures include overcall, if any. (R) designates 
amount of original investment repaid to the backers. <P) designates 
amount of profit distributed to the backers. Unless otherwise indi¬ 
cated, the backers’ share is 50% of the total profit, with the man¬ 
agement getting all or most of the remaining 50%. 

Show Title Investment Backers* 

Return 
To Date 

Auntie Marne (N-Y. Co.) ........... , $179,307 *$ 84,308 (P) 

Bells Are Ringing 360,000 80,000 (P) 

Damn Yankees-----............... 250,000 437,500 (P) 

Dark at Top of Stairs *..... 100,000 75,000 (R) 

Diary of Anne Frank ............ 75,000 99,300 (P) 

Happiest Millionaire 99.000 45,000 (R) 

Jamaica...........,.. 300,000 60,000 (R) 

Look Back in Anger * - * -. 40,000 40,000 (R) 

Long Day’s Journey Into Night.. • . 80,000 45,500 (P) 

Middle of the Night 100,000 87,500 (P) 

Most-Happy Fella 375,000 176,000 (P) 

New Girl in Town - .300,000 30;000 (P) 

No Time for Sergeants (2 CoS.) 100,000 515,965 (P) 

Romanoff arid Juliet 80,000 32,000 OR) 

Tunnel of Love 60,000 120,000 (P) 

West Side Story 300,000 270,000. (R) 

CLOSED SHOWS 

Mr. Wonderful 225,000 202,500 (R) 

Pajama Game .... 250,000 750,000 (P) 

Teahouse of August Moon. (N.Y. Co. ).. 100,000 483,199 (P) 

* Backers of “Auntie Mamie” receive 34.471% of the profits 


ON TOUR 

Chalk Garden 
D'Oyly Carte Opera 
Nude With Violi 
Romanoff & Juli 
Time and Again 
Waltz of he Toreador* 
Where's Charley 


NOTICE 


TENT 


OWNERS 

MANAGERS 


Special concessions will be given: all fent owners arid 

managers on costume rentals and purchases from the larg¬ 
est stock available in the country. 

serviced such outstanding compani as 
KAwViq S r)Auni?l PAL OPERA: L0 UISVILLE; STARLIGHT THEATRE, 
KANSAS; OAKDALE; WARWICK; ALLENTOWN AND MANY OTHERS, 

Come in and make your arrangements as soon as possible, 

M *“• eomMcts 

EAVES COSTUME 
COMPANY, Inc. 

SEE ANDREW GEOLY 

EAVES BUILDING. 151 WEST CM, ST., NEW YORK St. M. V. 

•'_PLcbo 7-3730 


Touring Shows 

(Feb. 3-16) 

. Auntie Mamie (2d Co.). (Constance Ben¬ 
nett)—Nixon. Pitt. (3-8»; Auditorium, 
Rochester (10-15). 

■ Back . to Methuselah . (tryout) (Tyrone 
Power, Faye Emerson, Arthur Treacher)— 
Syria Mosque, Pitt. (3); Proctor’s Schenec¬ 
tady (4); Her Majesty’s, Montreal (5-8); 
Shubert. Boston (10-15). (Reviewed in 
VARIETY, Jan. 23. *58). 

. Blue' Denim (tryout) (Chester Morris)— 
Shubert, New-Haven (5-8); Locust. Philly 
(10-15). . 

Canadian Players— Medical College of 
Georgia,. Augusta. (4); Wesleyan- College 
Aud., Macon, Ga..(5); Barry College, Miami 
(8); Louisiana State .U. Aud., Baton Rouge 
(ID; North Texas State Teacners College 
Aud.. Denton (14). 

Cat on' a Hof Tin Roof (Victor Jory)— 
Wilbur, Boston (3-8); Hanna. Cleve. (10-15). 

Cloud 7 (tryout) (Ralph Meeker, Martha 
Scott)—Ford’s; Balto (3-8. moves to N.Y.) 
(Reviewed in VARIETY. Jan: 22. ’58). * 
Damn - Yankees —Murat. Indpls. (3-5); 
Pu'rdiie U., Lafayette, Ind. (6-7); Para¬ 
mount, Toledo (8-9); TJ. Aud., Blooming¬ 
ton, Ind. (lQrll); Coliseum, Evansville- 
(13);. Tennessee Theatre. Nashville (14-15). 

- . Day the Money. Stopped (tryout) (Rich¬ 
ard Basehart)--Walnut, Philly (3-8); Wil¬ 
bur, Boston (10-15) (Reviewed in VARI¬ 
ETY, Jan. 29. *58). 

Diary , of Anne Frank. (Joseph SchUd- 
kraut)—Shubert, Cincy (3-8); Nixon, Pitt. 
(10-15). 

• Entertainer, (tryout) (Laurence Olivier, 
George Relph. Brenda de Banzie, Joan. 
Plowright)—Shubert, Boston (3-8. moves 
to.. N.Y.). 

Happiest Millionaire (Walter Pidgeon)— 
Harris. Chi (3-15), 

Joyce Grenfell— Geary, S;F. (13-15). 
Long Day'S journey Into Night (2d Co.) 
(Far Bainter, Anew McMaster)—Erlanger, 
Chi-(3-15). 

“-Master of Thornfield (tryout) (Errol 
Flynn)—Shubert. Det. (10-15). 

Middle of the Night (Edward G. Robi - 
son)—Great Northern. Chi (3-8); Ameri¬ 
can;. St. L. (10-15). 

H *PPV .Fella—Blackstone. Chi 

(4*15)» . 

■ Much Ado About Nothing (Katharine 
Hepburn. Alfred Drake)—Hanna, Cleve. 
(3-8); Shubert. Wash, (10-15). 

My Fair Lady (2d Co.) (Brian Aherne, 
Anne Rogers)—Shubert, Chi (3-15). 

My Fur Lady (Canadian)—Royal Alex¬ 
andra, Toronto (3-16).' 

No Time for Sergeants (N.Y. Co.)— 
Municipal Aud., Thomasville, Ga. (3); 
Municipal Aud., Orlando, Fla. (5); Peabody 
Aud.. Daytona Beach. Fla. (6); Dade 
Couhty Aud., Miami (7-9); Aud.. Ft 
Lauderdale : (10); Aud.. Miami (11-12); 
Aud.. Tallahassee (14); Jordan Aud., Co¬ 
lumbus. Ga. (15). 

^ No .Time for Sergeants (Nat’l Co.)— 
Colonial, Boston (3-15). 

.Nude With Violin A Present Laughter 
(Noel. Coward)— rCurran, S.F. (11-15). 

„ Portofino (tryout) (George Guetary. 
Helen Gallagher, Robert Strauss)—-Erlan- 
8 e . r *, Wnlly (3-8, closes) (Reviewed in 
VARIETY, Jan. 29, '58). 

Tunnel of Love (Russell. Nype. William 
Bishop)—Alcazar, S.F. (3-15), 

Visit to a Small Planet (CyrU Ritchard) 
—P^y house.^ Wilmington (5,8); Forrest, 

. Waljl of tho Toreadors (Melvyn Doug¬ 
las. .Betty Field,. Lili Darvas)—^Forrest 
Phjuy (3-8); National. Wash dO^S) ’ 

, Who W^s That Lady I Saw You With?, 
(tryout) (Peter Lind Hayes, Mary Healy. 
Ray Walston)—Shubert, Philly (5-15). 


Shows Abroad 


Whereas Charley 

Glasgow, Feb. 4. 

H,M. Tennent Ltd. & Bernard Delfont 
Ltd. presentation of two-act (nine scenes), 
musical comedy based on “Charley's 
Aunt" by Brandon Thomas; music and 
lyrics, Frank Loesser: book. George Ab¬ 
bott. Stars Norman Wisdom. Staged by 
William - ChapeU; . choreography. Hanya 
Holm; settings gnd costumes. Peter Rice: 
musical direction. Michael Collins. At 
King's Theatre. Glasgow. Jan. 27, *58; 
$1:50 top. 

Brassett .. 

Jack Chesney ....... 

Charley Wykeham ... 

Kitty Verdun -.... 

Aniy Spettlgue . 

Sir .Francis Chesney.. 

Mr. Spettlgue ... . 

Donna Lucia D'Alvadbrez 

Marion Grimaldi 

Photographer... Peter Mander 

Reggie .;... Barry Kent 

Singers: Helen Anderson, Sheila Fran¬ 
cis. Mary Grimmett,' Anne Lakeman. Jill 
Martin. Valerie Tams, Elisabeth Wade, 
Bill GIdley, Philip Johns, Barry Kent. , 
David Kernan. Leigh Maurice, Philip Pot- I 
ter. Scott Webber. 

Dancers: Ann Berrecloth. Corlnne Du- 
vernay, Norma Dunbar. Janice^ FeUows, 
Vivienne Hetzel. Pamela Miller. Gay 
Owen*:Caroline Saxon. Tony Adams, Louis 
Conrad, . David Kerr, Vincent Logan. 
Anthony Newman, Derek Rosen. Keh 
Tyllsen, 


...John Moore 
. Terence Cooper 
. Norman Wisdom 
.... Pamela Gale 
.. ..Pip Hinton 
. .Jerry Desmonde 
. Felix Felton 


Farce; if fast and furious, seldom 
palls with age- This new British 
version of the American musical 
based on the vintage British farce, 
“Charley’s Aunt,” by Brandon 
Thomas, is entertaining fodder for 
average tastes. It is greatly 
strengthened by the vitality of its 
production and the clowning skill 
of English film and stage comedian 
Norman Wisdom. 

The star is a small* pathetic- 
seeming performer with facility for 
invoking sympathy as the little guy 
who’s always tramped on but comes 
back with a big kick. Added to this 
comic ability, he has all-round ex¬ 
perience as vaude performer* and 
steps out of* character in the second 
act to do a solo spot worthy of 
London Palladium billing. 

Wisdom'iglribraces many varied 
talents for this, registering iri the 
“Once in Love with Amy” slotting. 
He sings, dances, plays a post-horn,, 
and winds with nifty fast-paced 
drums bit in orch pit. 

The yarn retains its interest due 
to speed of production, which 
romps along at a zippy pace. Wis¬ 
dom tumbles and cavorts amusing¬ 
ly, and is obviously, at home in role 
of the undergraduate posing as his 
aunt. 

Jerry Desmonde, Wisdom’s long¬ 
time comedy partner, Is a dapper 
figure as the father of one of the 
students, while Felix Felton, the 
portly irascible ^ype, strides it out 
as the heiress’s guardian. 

Terence Cooper has the neces¬ 
sary appearance in role of Char¬ 
ley’s chum, Marlon Grimaldi is a 
highly attractive aunt. Pip Hinton 
reveals comedy flair as Charley’s 
girl-friend Amy, and scores with 
Wisdom in “Make a Miracle” and 
in her:solo “Woman in his Room.” 
Pamela Gale is pretty as her part¬ 
ner in romancings. 

Musical, first book show for Wis¬ 
dom. looms as likely to have fair 
success in its ultimate London 
presentation. Frank Loesser music 
and lyrics link tunefulness with wit 
against th fictoriari-age setting of 
strawhattev, college boys and girls, 
and the Hanya Holm choreography 
is always effective. Peter Rice cap¬ 
tures appropriate gaiety of more 
leisurely days in his sets and cos- 
turnings. Michael Collins wields a 
skillful baton, and the whole is 
staged at good pace by William 
ChappelL Cord. 


lady at the Wheel 

London, Jan. 24. 
Andrew Broughton St Edward Kassner 
presentation of two-act (12 scenes) musi¬ 
cal comedy.. Features Vivienne ■ Bennett. 
Bernard Cribbins, Maggie Fitzgibbon. 
Music and lyrics. Leslie Bricusse and 
Robin Beaumont; book, Frederic Raphael 
and Lucienne Hill. Staged by Wendy Toye; 
assistant. Tommy Linden; choreography. 
Toye and Linden; decor. Richard Negri. 
At Lyric Theatre. Hammersmith, London. 
Jan. 23. *58; $2 top. 

Official .. Kenneth McClellan 

Sir Rowland Haines... Henry Long'nurst 

Ramon PopoffFrederick Schiller 

Max Van Hoorn. Reed De Roueii 

Jinx Abbott...Maggie Fitzgibbon 

Tuesday . ..... Lucille Mapp 

Lady Isabel Haines.... ivienne Bennett 

Peter Haines.• Peter Gilmore 

Fernanda Fernandez... Bernard Cribbins 

Waiter .Malcolm MacDonald 

Croupier ..... :... Andy Colo 

Debutantes-Mavis Ascott. Burda Cann, 

Leonie Franklyn, Janet Moss. 
- NeUa Stewart 

Jinx's Passengers . .Barry Irwin. Malcolm 
MacDonald, Alex Morrow, Arthur 
Pendrlck. Tom Merrifield 
Singers....... Hilary Kay,. Pat Whitmore, 

Walter Kavan. Andy Cole 


A new legit management enters 
the field with this topical musical 
comedy, “Lady at the Wheel,” with 
a story based on the Monte Carlo 
Rally, the annual international con¬ 
test of car-drivmg skill. The show, 
w'hich originally started life as a 
university show, relies on a couple 
of standout tunes arid a smash com¬ 
edy performance by, Bernard Crib- : 
bins: The book is uninspired and 
most of the performances have a 
pedestrian quality. 

Because there is a natural parti¬ 
ality for British shows and talent 
(witness the success scored by “The 
Boy Friend,” “Salad Days’* and 
•Free As Air”) there is a prospect 
that this light-weight entry may 
transfer to a regular- West End 
theatre. In any event, Edward 
Kassner, who is partnered in the; 
management and who is an active 
music publisher, has a few saleable 
tunes to add to his catalog. 

Although hardly inspired. Wendy 
Toye's staging strikes a vigorous 
note and, as she was a dancer hpr- 
(Contmued'pn page 77) 



WOTEL PRESIDENT 


r 


48th S»„ W*t> of Sway 
Circle 6-8800 


I 


SCENIC DESIGNER 

IS looking for •mploymcnt Ntw York 
City or Out of Town Excellent Pro¬ 
fessional Training Logit# Stock# T,V. 
Experience. 

Phono: Nl 6-4595 or write Box V-212 
Variety 154 Wtsf 44th Street 
. Now York City 












































Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


Pfitsneff 


IJTERATI 


Off-Broadway Reviews 

Continued'from page. T6 ^ 

Endgame . I ever, there was one. Miss Manatis 

walls is the, dingy, dirty, darrk j ls credibly perceptive, her love 
locale a place that seehis to be i sce "e with Oakland providing the 
nowhere in space and time. It j s J Productions most-- .distinguished, 
furnished only by two ashcans and ; moments. 

an uncomfortable high chair on ' . Bernard Grant is cast as the reel- 
rasters. An old man is confined to i ..guilt-ridden brother, Jvaii; 
the chair by his infirmities, ;his j.^ v bne Robert Alvin plaj r s the lust- 
ancient mother and father each father. Lois Wheeler appears 
live in one of the ashcans, and a i . “. e Sh'l whose betrayal of;, 
■younger. man (the son and grand-i leads to his conviction, and 

son 1 respectively) is general facto- ! Waldronhas the ro’e of the 

turn doing his father’s bidding, no i bastard son,. Smerdyakov. While 
matter what. each is quite equal to the occasion, 

In terms of Custorriar stage ac- M ] ss Wheeler’s brief but impas- 
tion, nothing happens. The son ; sioned scenes are particularly help- 
drags ri ladder around and occa-, ^ ■ 

si on ally leans it against the back 1 . And Dostoyeysky. faithful who 
wall so he can peer out of:two dirty haven t had their filLof the Kara- 
windows. Now and then he uses a mazovs need wait only a short tii . 
telescope, but as often as hot he fdm is due any .day now. 
drops it or throws it down. He Geor. 

Winds a clock, looks chuckingly in ~ f .. 

the ashcans, fetches - his father a Dial 3I 5 lor >ftii*«I©r 
toy dog, a gaffing hook. If the boy Equity Library Theatre.revival ofthree- 
i A , J|t Ae ■ Hie father eurnmniiQ hini ! « niystwy-driuna by Frederick Knott, 
leaves, nis lamer summons ni,.l j Features Keith Herrington, Claude Hor- 
back by blowing peremptorily on . ton/Ann Wickham,■.Maurfce Ottinger, Koy 

a ooliceman’s whistle. . , Shuman - ’. Staged byElla Gerber; setting: 

r’nnvprcatinn darts in and nut - and flighting, Ballou; lighting executed 
Conversation aarts in ana out, , b y Robert Brand. At Lenox Hill PJay- 
liever sticking to a subject, and ; house, N.Y, V Feb. 1. ’58; admission by 
beats around such issues as life, : contribution. , • 

death-, escape, physical discomfort J kiiti, licIWnS^ 

physical relief. Seldom, however, J Horton, Edgar Meyer. Art Alisi. 
does the talk touch on emotional I ^ 

matters. If there is a barrenness in j .A sharp, facile, swift-moving- re- 
the play. R riiay derive from the > vival. of ‘.‘Dial M” for Murder," 
lack of love and human, kindness, Frederick Knott’s highly successful 
the filial duty shown being dog- mystery drama gif the .1952-53 
like routine and response. i Broadway season, is the opener of 

But whither away? At the end, [Equity Library Theatre’s four-play; 
the son is escaping, though where j Community. series,. done annually 
there, is for him to go is not indi-{ in cooperation with, the Board , of 
cated. He wears a knapsack, car- ! Education, It’s a good choice, well- 
ries an oar, has a. satchel, climbing played, and . should prove popular 
rope and skis. The grandparents! on the bargain basement borough 

have withered into death in .their i to nf- . - . . x . 

respective ashcans. The father has ! . Ella Gerber has staged this re T 
no more pain-killer,-no one to help endowing it with crisp ten-, 

him, and apparently resigns him-? Ion > clarity of story line, and find- 
self to lonely pain and. dying.,/ ' ting a group of handsome person- 
What are the hidden meanings, 1 act u or s to cope. with Knott s. 
the uitiniate^ignificances? Evident-- lively whodunit. ; , 

lv director Alan Schneider has a As the^man who plots his wires 
due. for he has staged “Endgame” murder, the. parL played on Broad- 
-■-- i -- - by Maurice Evans, Keith Her- 


tbou.ehtfully and with considerable 


mood: The actors must, have a hint, rington. brings suavity and brisk- 
for Alvin Epstein as the son, Lester i n £ ss * Ann Wickham has bright. 
Rawlins as his father, and P. J, charn ^ s n ^ e n ^®; 

Kelly and Nydia Westman as the man the proper degree of ner- 
grandparents, play with .'enormous. '-? us concentration _ _as .the ^ ^man 
concentration and cdftviction. i trapped into attempting 

Thp first snpprh of the dIw'' Maurice Ottinger, a vigorously 
begins, "It’s finished. It’s finished! i e ^L n e g 

It s’ really finished.” Looking for.; type, is; 

Rpf'kptt tVijit mov hp sc poof! a i mystci j-writing ex-lover, \vnile.. 
nhee as anv toSt But itVev’erv • Claude Horton has the dry humor 
man fo? himself t rt ‘ Geor that makes the part ,of the inspec- - 

man for himself. Geor. I tor Ayho u nra yels the plot a tasty 


np ♦ j actors.; morsel. 

I ne 1 rial ©I Balloii’s set nicely, represents the 

Dmitri Karamazov . living room of a London apart- 
Group 6 (Charles Aidman. Norman Hali; ; ment. GCOT. 

..Tames Lee, Lee Phillips, Norman Rose. 

Robert Sagalyn) presentation .of three-act -:—■— -——^ ~- : - r 

tiagedy by Norman Rose, based on the ■■ 

Fyodor Dostpyevsky novel. Staged by CLauia nkManJ 

Norman Hall; setting, Robert Wightmrtn; ullOWS ADlOaU 

lighting, PhiUp Hymes; costumes, Katy. W j 

Kalin; production, Robert Sagalyn. At Jan „_V. 

Hus Auditorium, N.Y., Jan. 27, '58; $3.85 . ■ . - Continued from page 76 ■■■' 

°Cast: George Morfogen, WiUiam Griffis, E.*ldy at til©. 3% fee©! 
parnei °cko, David Bauer.. Simon Oak- se if; she has infused some life and 
land, Leslie Barrett, John Ragin. Robert ; / . v, Thp 

Alvin. Bernard Grant, John Dodson, Lois gaiety into the routines. Tile 
Wheeler, Janine Manatis, Martin Waldron, choreography, however, IS far from 
Bronia Stefan, Robert Morazinski,. Joseph rn-ioinil Knf that rnav well be due 
Hanrahan. Bernard Reed, Flora Elkins, Original. D Mt . tna v may wmi De uue 
Howard Mann r Frank Groseclose, Melvyn to the limitations of the small Stage. 
Haynes. ' The best part of the shpvv is eas- 

- - •— y ily Cribbins’ brilliant interpreta- 

Remove the trial from Norman tion of ‘‘Siesta,’’ one of. the tvvo 
Rose’s “The Trial of Dniitri. Kara- strongest. musical entries. It’s a 
mazov” and there might be a play good number in its own right, but 
of scope, splash and action. Or at he adds business of his: own to put 
least begin with the second ..act, ;.it over; - The other hit song, "Pete 
For in basing a play on Dostoyev- Y’Knqw" is given a lively treat- 
sky’s celebrated, novel, “The ment bv Maggie Fitzgibbori, al- 
. Brothers Karamazov,” Rose has though she falls down rather bad- 
taken a long wind-up, tlie first of iy in the straight acting stakes, 
his three acts being nearly an hour Lucille Mapp, in. provocative cos- 
of courtroom harangue just to give tume and.highly personalized style, 
the story rolling, ! doesn’t appear to make, the best of 

However, when the play gets another potential hit, "Love Is.” 
down to cases in the Second act arid The story line briefly describes 
a good portion of the third, show- the rivalries between contestants 
mg events rather than just talking m the Monte Carlo Rally, and the 
about them or indulging in narra- show is thus, a must-see for 
tion. when the characters afe: per-, sports .car buffs. Peter Gnmore 
riiiUed to live rather than dis- and MiSs Fitzgibbon, in the roman- 
cussing their lives, from the trial tic leads, biekef their way .through 
dock, the Dostoyevsky-Rose collab- the first act until the all-toa-mcvit- 

Oration takes on meaningful, often able reconciliation in the second, 
exciting, stage life, Cribbons, as a sinister South 

. It needn’t be gratuitously un-‘ Ainerican. contestant with a roving 

pleasant to point out that the ver- eye, is a thoroughly , likeable vil- 
sion of “Karamazov” current at lain, and there are standard per- 
lower 2nd Ave.’s Gate Theatre formarices by others in trie cast, 
profits, from its direct attack and, including Vivienne Bennett, Reed 
paradoxically, delves more deeply De Rouen, Frederick Schiller and 
than “The Trial” into the phjlo- Henry Longhurst Myro . 

sophipal overtones with which Dos- 

toj evsky impregnated his novel. . - 

_i ; rider.Norriran HalL’s sometimes ICaiMViett ’Hlifilr’ 

di i\ ing, sometimes studied. direc- wUlinSw llllwK 

imn, a nuriiher of good perform- ' f -v 

l“ C r! a - re given at the Jan Hus =— Gonumied trom p ag e -3_ 
Qim noteworthy is* the play isn’t .clear as;yet, but au^. 

i add ’ s invigorating por- tti Qr Sciiary indicated some time 

kill k- P dlltl ‘i* the son who didn’t a eo that he intended, producing 
wifli nll a J her ’ yet sh:al ' es the guilt the screen version himself; pfe- 
is a ?JJ df ° r hls brothers. Oakland I^mbly on an independent basis 
£ ru Sged actor with a wUl for. fl P m aior studio. 

dive S lr J? and P°wer, and his . drive, th ^ gh . n k -^ “Sunrise”: reopens 

SSS U $Sr 1 If5 


Shows Abroad 


gel” to take both citations, with 
"Dark. at the Top of. the Stairs’- a 
possible contender. It remains to 
be seen whether the fact that FDR 
is the. hero of "Sunrise” may make 
it loo Controversial for prize 
honors: 

Critics Circle Trig? 

Apparently “Music Mari” is still 
the top choice for selection by the 
Critics Circie as the season’s best 
j musical,--'with "West Side Story” 
i a 1 ' contender: However, there’s 
[ been mention recently that ,- 6h 
Captain,” which opened last night. 
(Tues.) on the hee.-s of enthusiastic 
word from its Philadelphia tryout, 
might be a possibility; for the nod. 

Similarly, "Look Back in Anger’’ 
and “Romanoff and Juliet” remain 
the most likely choice for citation, 
by the Critics Circle as the best 
foreign play, but the award! could 
conceivably go to “The Entertain¬ 
er,"' currently, playing a shake- ; 
down stand in Boston: Inciden¬ 
tally, both “Anger” arid “Enter¬ 
tainer” were written by British au¬ 
thor John; Osborne, and by added 
coincidence, ail three contenders 
are presented by David Merrick^ 


Shows on B’way 

Continued from page 74 

Mayhe Tuesday 

about the maile’s 'natural dorrii- 
riance. 

Probably there are- more thin 
several good jokes imbedded iri the 
lerigthy banter, but. most are lost 
in performance or fair to overcome 
audience apathy. There’s one, just 
one, really professional perform¬ 
ance, .by Alice Ghostley in the 
small but legitimate role of an 
agreeable young suburban wife 
and mother who’s too busy; with the 
domestic grind to. waste time wo: 
dering -whether she’s happy. There’s 
also a : capable performance by 
Ralph Bell iri the bit part of a 
doctor (but the authors just, can’t 
resist giving him a terribly Obvious 
joke as an exit line), 

’Since the other performances 
range frorri barely merely adequate 
to' downright incredible, the stag¬ 
ing must plainly share the blame 
with, the script:. In any case, there’s 
no dodging it,. Richard. Derr is 
wooden: as the. bent-ori-marriage 
hero and Patricia Smith is unneces¬ 
sarily strident as his' altar-shy 
sweetheart. 

To a varying degree that also 
goes for' Brett Somers,. Myra' Car¬ 
ter, Midge Ware, Sybil Lamb and 
Zohra Lampert as man-chasing ten¬ 
ants and Louis, Edmonds, Robert 
Elston,.. Wynn Pearce and . Barry 
Newman as their, . not-unwilling 
prey.. Paul Morrison’s large living 
room and small kitcheri settings are 
properly . tacky-lookirig arid Ann 
Roth has provided the standard 
assortment of clothes. Hob.e. 

. (Closed last Saturday night (.1) 
after five performances.). 

B’way Legit 

Continued from page 1 
saw” and “Sunrise at Campobello.” 
The substantial new-season entries 
are “Fair Game,” “Look Back in 
Ariger,” “Romanoff and Juliet” 

and "Rope Dancers.” 

The; continuing previous-season 
smashes ; are “Auntie Marne,’’ 
"Fells Are Ringirig” and “My Fair 
Lady,” and the no-longer-capacity 
holdovers are “Li’l Abner,” “Long 
Day’s Journey-Into Night,” “New 
Girl in Town” and - “Tunnel of 
Loye.” Altogether, there are 10 
current, sellouts, arid eight substari- 
tial grossers currently running. 

Among the highly regarded in- 
coining productions are “Oh Cap¬ 
tain,” a'musical opening last night, 
(Tues.), “The Entertainer/* a Lon¬ 
don hit due next Wednesday (12) 
for a limited run of eight weeks, 
with Laurence Olivier as star, and 
also such unknown but hopeful 
items as “Blue Denim” arid “Who 
Was That Lady I Saw You With.” I 


Literati 


Ws Cancer Fund Wins ’ f years ago urider Ontario legislation 
New York State Court of Appeals \ passed after Atkinson’s death, for- 
ihis .week. dismissed dariiage suhsJ bidding any charitable foundation 
of more than $1,000,000 against t \vn. more than 10% of any prop- 

Walter Wincheli; chief fund raiser erty. But it was never enforced— 
for Damon Runyon .Memorial. Can-| reportedly because, if fought, - it 
cer Fund, John H. Teetef, official' might not stand up in federal 
of American Cancer Society and * courts. Estate; trustees continued 
Elmer H. BobSt, also cancer society to operate it for Atkinson Chari- 
official and president of Wai*rier- table Foundation, which owns it.. 
Hiidnut, former Winche.il sponsor. Purchaser must first get permis- 
Joseph :L. Brandt Of the Bronx slon of Supreme Court of Canada, 
had alleged that Wincheli and other under federal Charities Act. 

defendants had conspired out of __ 

“.vindictiveness”; to put Brandt’s c pipnr - Market Handhonk 

business ^Urfanimonf deciian of Aimed at both the scientist and 

layman, is “Van Nostrand’s 
upheld | Scientific Encylcopedia” which the 

court runngs. _ , j D Van Nostrand Co. Inc. of 

• .. . .. i „ _ i ’Princeton, N. J., is bringing out 

Baited ■- Jan. 31. It’s an 1,800 page tome 
A $3,000 pme will^e a\varded to wit R ioo,OOQ definitions, 
the author of the best book on the Book is a new third edition of 
history of religion to be accepted the encylopedia and is “greatly 
and published by the Harvard, enlarged, revised and- entirely re- 
Press during the next four years, §et v Reference wofk particular- 
Rer Nathan M. Pusey, prexy. of Uni- i v takes in such new fields as color 
versity. Competition for the award ; tv and guided missiles. 

is Operi tri all. he said. Mss, must 1 __ 

be book, length and may be of. in- ^ j _ _ , 

dividual or joint authorship. TiH Boy’s Mother Sues Lcwk 
Printed rules may be obtained Magazine is being sued for 

from Harvard University Press, 79 ^ Mrs. Mamie Brad- 

Gardeif St., Cambridge, 38, Mass. »f Chicago mother of Emmett 

. This is the - first in a series of; JBL Negro youth who was slam m 
$3,000 prize contests to b? held Mississippi, on Aug. 25, 195 d. 
every four years for authors of i charging- the mag with 

outstanding books in the fields, of j Hh^I oi herself and her somin Look 
the. natural arid social sciences. ! artlc ^j? pui)lished Jan. 24, 1956 and 
Funds for the prizes rind for the , Jan - !9o7. * 


publication of the books were pro¬ 
vided for by Dr. Martyri Paine of 
New York, who died in 1877,' 


'More ‘Penalties’ 

Penalties for violation of a Penal 
Law section dealing with sale-or 
distribution of “obscene”’ litera¬ 
ture are increased from 10 days 


Include In More Yanks distribution or "onscene -- litera- 

About one third of “Everyman’s rt ar ? increased, from 10 days 
Dictionary of Literary Biography— ! to days ”J u J imur ” 0 l^ te ? c - e 
Eriglish & American,” (J. M. Dent j and ^ om f ^180 to a $250 mmi- 
& Soris, London; $2.80) is^^ devoted i J°I n 5”fmSSrti 

to American entries, to keep pace' 

with the growth of American. Lit- [ a ^ d L to f 0 !^! 

erature • - i second offense, under the terms 

Superseding the “Biographical' 

Dictionary of English Literature,” ; *' T 

this reference volume riPritainS i f R T ®^ b i lcan ’ 11 Vi0uld 

2,300 biographies, along with, for i ^ m.i m c 

complete accuracy, the exact dates ' ^a 1 «i non 

^ -year imprisonment and a $1,000 

of each authors birth and. dea.h. f ine , dr fine and imprison- 

. ment, for the first offense; not less 

• New England^Newspapers . ■ than $250 and not more than 
New England Newspapers Inc. $2,500, and not less than 30 days 
has been formed as. a consolidation . and not more than $2,500, or both 
of New England Newspapers Iric. 1 fi ne an d imprisonment, for the 
and Times Publishing Co:, a Rhode second offense. 

Island corporation, to conduct a | punishment for a third offense 
printing and publishing, .with of-! remains the same: an indefinite 
fice in New York. Capital stock is ! term of six months to three vears, 
$760,000, consisting of 7,500 shares j a nc j a possible fine of not more 
of preferred at $100 par value, and ! th an $5,000, 

18.000 shares bf . common at^ nonpar i ’- 

Marshall, Bratter, Greene, AUi- l CHATTER 

son & Tucker of Manhattan were ! Glasgow Herald, leading Scot 
filing attorneys at Albany. ' morning newspaper, celebrated its 

——175th birthday. Queen, Elizabeth, 

I Nate Grtss’ «6bal Hop _ . ! 1" &&££ 5 


i Nate GrbsSj gossiper for the Chi- • ._/ .. 

cago American who has. departed j 

on 1 a three-riionth trip around the , .. Sloane s. ^rthcon^g ffune puh- 
i.world, resumes- bis daily column ^-rf^Onr^cr^Cr^^ 
i Feb. 3 from the Orient and will I ., The D J c a So n , J^ee, ^heraias^that 
| continue thenceforth to. file from • J 1 , was ., ^ e / or « PV^Lcation to 
‘ abroad. y(now the late) L. B. Mayer Enter- 

i Meanwhile the space: is . being | ma i dr movie.” ^ 

; plugged by Jirii Bishop’s daily opus' : Miami . Herald amusement editor 
for'the King Syndicate. George Eourke adding a new 

. v Datelme Miami feature to Travel 

Maine. Weeklies Evaporate magazine whose editor, Malcom 

Two Maine weeklies, published ; {HcTea r Davis, does the “Dateline 
in the Pine Tree state; since hefore { New- York column, 
the turn of the century, have end- Farrar Straus & Cudahy s new- 
i ed their ruris. The Lisbon Enter-! e sV.’ novel by. late Colette is titled 
prise, founded in 1890; stopped! .Mitsou” and “Music-Hall Side- 
I publication . with its edition of lights;” • latter story of an auto- 
1 Thursday (16). The Freeport Press, biographical nature, continuing 
I which opened in 1885, published with the author’s French show biz 
{its final edition Friday (17). The background. 

• two papers" were offered for sale Mergenthalef Linotype Co. has 

| as a package without success, Al- changed its capital stock from 
: fred Fritzsche, owner anAeditor of|OQO.OOO shares, no par value, to 
1 the sheets reported. j $1,000,000, $1 par Value, according 

I The Enterprise, founded by to a certificate filed with the Sec- 
(Charles Manri, has had 11 editors, retary..of State in Albany by Ges- 
!■ including' author John Gould, ser & Hayes of Manhattan. 

! Marin sold out to Gould, and Jess “Robert Helpriiann” by Kathrine 
} Goiid iri 1945 after operating the Sorley Walker (Macmillan; $3), is 
•weekly for. 55 years. Gould sold an ^ illustrated study of the Aus- 
i Out to his partner in July, 1951,} tralian actor-dancer’s career, with 
and retired to his farni to vTite. “ list of his stage and screen Cred- 
I . j its. Beginning with an airiateur 

i; . More On Toronto Star j appearance in Adelaide, Australia 

1 Joseph E. Atkinson’s estate trus- i in 1922, Helpmann has reached 
J tees (five) want to buy the Toronto ; most of the world capitals in bal- 
^ Star, Canada’s largest daily . which | let, drama, and as a producer. . 
he founded. They’ll •incorporate ■ William Loeb, publisher of the 
■ a company ivith provisions for em- . Manchester Union-Leader, largest* 
‘ ployee participatibri. The. five in-[ newspaper in New Hampshire, has 
i elude Atkinson’s, son'Joseph S. At- - offered the New Hampshire Week- 
i.kirison and daughter Ruth Atkinson , ly .Publishers* Association a $1,000 

• Hindmarsh; and. company will in-prize this year to be awarded to 
elude , his grandson Harry A. Hind-- fhe Granite State weekly', news- 

marsh, son of Star’s late president,, paper judged to have contributed 

colorful Harry C. Hindmarsh. Uie most in community service. 

Presumably they’ll have to put-day, the Vcib gnrismlmsle 
up $25,000,000. or more; to get the ( . 


as “a new .landmark in history of 


Universal Earnings j 

Continued from page 5. ! 

sary drastic economies in your! 
company’s operations at the. studio 1 
arid in its distribution facilities..!. 
He declares. that the, backlog of; 
coiripleted pictures will enable U ; 
to maintairi an orderly flow of pic¬ 
tures until the beginning of 1959. 

Almost complete shutdown, of 
studio operations at Universal has 
not deterred the. company’s board: 1 
of directors from continuing divj-. 
derid payments, a di.vy pf $1.0614 j 
per share -on- the. 414% Cumulative ■[ 
preferred stock being declared yes-; 
terday (Tues.)., ‘ 

Slice is payable March 1 to stock- 
holders of record Feb. 14. i 


property, which includes Star (400,- I 
000), Star Weekly (900,000); news j 
rind photo syndicates and the 10-: 
story Star Building. Variety 
broke the story ..two years: ago that 
bids up - to $25,000,000 had been 
riiade by Ottawa-born brewing mag¬ 
nate E. P, Taylor and others. 1. 

Star “as due for sale nearly two.) 


LEONARD LOUIS LEVINSON 

ishes. fo announce that 
he had finished reading the 

VARIETY ANNIVERSARY NUMBER 
And Is Again Available for 
Wriiirig Assignmenfs 




78 


CHATTER 


yMeiETf 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 


Broadway. 


Sol Hurok has Nora Kovach and 
©strain Rabovsky. 

Mata and Hari return to States 
in January 1959 for 14 weeks via 
Columbia Mgmt. ■* .. 

Tony March, son of actor Fred- 
ric March is engaged to Sandra 
Levin, nonpro. 

Caroline Legrera and daughter 
Belen will hit the road with a song 
recital handled by National Con¬ 
certs. 

Drawings for trips to Europe to 
attend the London convention of 
Variety International will be held 
on Feb. IT. 

John Farley, long ago with 
WMCA as a staff writer, is now 
partnered in Marshall-Farley Asso¬ 
ciates, PR shop. 

Rank salesmanager Irving Sochin 
hosted the second annual, sales 
conference farewell dinner held at 
the Old Romanian. 

‘ Mary Hunter, former Broadway 
legit stager and Theatre Guild exec 
who is now Mrs. Herman Wolf of 
W, Hartford, in towii last week for 
the FDR play by Dore Schary. 

Flame Room (Radisson Hotel), 
Minneapolis, .review of Pat Wind¬ 
sor erroneously referred to her 

husband-manager-arranger-conduc- 

tor Charles Reader as “Joseph 
Reeder.” 

Famed maitre d’ hotel Robert 
(Cresca), ex-Versailles, got the 
blue-ribbon “billing” in spotlight 
ads heralding his association with 
Le Cupidon; ditto billing-for chef 
Ernest Beaucureux. 

Members of the Variety Club of 
N. Y., Tent 35, urged to speed sale, 
of raffle tickets for benefit of the 
Cancer Control Research. Founda¬ 
tion of the Variety Club and. Tra¬ 
falgar. Hospital. 

“Energetically Yours,” a 13-min¬ 
ute color cartoon produced by 
Transfilm, commercial and telepix 
outfit, has obtained theatrical book¬ 
ing at the Guild. Theatre, ,N.. Y. 
George K. Arthur is releasing. 

Barkas & Shalit publicity. firm 
has been retained by Ziff-Davis to. 
handle all the publisher’s maga¬ 
zines and annuals. Hank Wexler, 
former producer of the Tex & Jinx 
McCrary radio-tv shows, has joined 
same shop to handle the Ziff-Davis 
account. 

Radio City Music Hall is listed 
as one of highlights of a visit to 
New York City in the current issue 
of Look mag, out yesterday (Tues.). 
Color photo of Music Hall Rock- 
ettes, taken by Swiss photographer 
Emil Shultess. is featured in this 
“This Is New York” article. 

Mutual Life’s office expansion 
from its own arpund-the-comer 
building at 1740 Broadway includes 
taking over the top five, floors (and 
penthouse) of the Park Sheraton 
Hotel,, which is ; ousting certain 
show biz offices including theatri¬ 
cal photog Bill Mark. This: was the 
site of the old Jackie Gleason 
offices. 

Music Hall mezzanine will be 
reserved for the benefit of. The 
College of Advanced Science on 
the opening night of Metro’s “The 
Brothers Karamazov.”. All other 
sections of the theatre will be 
available for regular patrons. Reg¬ 
ular admission price will prevail 
except for the one section, involv¬ 
ing 944 of the theatre’s 6,200 seats. 


South Africa for the Italo pic- 
weeks there. 

Vittoria DeSica*s jaext acting, 
stint will be in Antonio Lepnviola’s 
“Marietta, La Ballerina, eil Padre- 
terno,” opposite. German, daricer- 
thesp Vera Tchechova. . 

Alberto.Lattuada back from loca¬ 
tion surveys in Yugoslavia for his 
upcoming Dino DeLaurentiis di¬ 
rectorial stint on pic tentatively 
titled “The Tempest.” 

Success of “Fathers and Sons” 
will be exploited by- Royal Films 
of Rome in its announced followup 
pix, “Sons and Fathers” and 
“Mothers and: Daughters.” 

Walter Chjari continuing his 
Milan-Madrid-London commuting 
spree, while busy every -Sunday 
prepping his weekly Italian tele 
show, “La Via del Successor” 

Two Italo major producers, Lux 
Films and Cines, going back into 
production soon. Lux is . planning 
“Fiesta Grande” in Spain, 'while 
Cines has a new “Grand Hotel” on 
the books. 


Vancouver 

Don Tyerman upped to national 
spot. ..with O’Brien Advertising 
Limited. 

lari Street, daily Province re¬ 
porter, tp James Lovickagency as 
copywriter.. 

Sidney Bennett from Boston in¬ 
to British Columbia U. theatrical 
dept., as technical director, 

Orietime city spoils writer Norm 
Klenman co-operating a new pic 
production outfit in Toronto, tees 
off shooting sked with a Morley 
Callaghan opus. 

Copywriter Earle Peterson 
copped Time’s $1,000 wordsmith 
award and a trip to New York. 
Peterson writes for James Lovifck 
ad agency here. 

Mike Bowman, distaff side of 
CKLG’s recipe man-wife ayemmer, 
continuing solo mike while Bob 
Bowman resumes management of 
CFBC, St. John, N.B , then gal 
joins husband. 


Boston 


By Guy Livingston 
(344 Little Bldg.; HAncock 6-83861 

Valerie Carr current at Story- 
vine. 

Katherine Cornell in Tuesday (4) 
guest of honor, at 31st arini .Char¬ 
lotte Cushman Club. 

Alan Gale Show booked for week 
at Shubert opening April 21 with 
Fran Warren, Dunhills and Arnold 
Dover. 

Margaret_Whiting‘ in for March 
of . Dimes $10Q plate dinner at 
which Norman Kriight, WNAC-TV 
prexy, hosted as- dinner, chairman. 

Marty Rubin, former Manhattan 
booker and nitery op, now bonifac- 
ing Players here, arranging testi¬ 
monial for Dom DiMaggio to be 
held. April 15 with delegations com¬ 
ing in from N. Y. 

Errol Garner had sellout in first 
concert at Symphony Hall Friday 
(31) promoted by George Wein’s 
Concert Jazz Promotions and goes 
into Town Hall, Philadelphia, Sat- 
urday (8> for second concert. 


Las Vegas 

By Forrest Duke 

{Dudley 2-61Q0) 

Sherry Shone, ^bra-less ballerina 
in the Sens. Souci fish bowl, re-: 
ceived three offers for screen tests. 

Monte Proser says the TropiCaria 
Holiday revue starring Jayne 
Mansfield will be budgeted, at 
$200,000 arid have a cast off 50.. ’ 

Joyce Roberts, chirper-terper in 
the current Trop revue, joins; the 
"New Faces of 1928,” • nostalgic 
package at the Desert Inn Feb. 25, 
as does one of her colleagues, Ron 
Lewis, who’ll dance. 

Donald O’Connor arid Sidriey 
Miller had a couple of especially 
interested spectators at the Sahara 
watching them do their Jayne 
Mansfield-Mickey Hargitay takeofi 
—they were the Hargitays. 

Flamingo’s Abe Schiller receives 
a special gift on his birthday when. 
Audie Murphy hands him , the 
“Rodeo Man of the Year” award 
at Palm Springs Rodeo. Citation is 
from International Rodeo Assn. 


Frankfurt 

By Hazel Guild . 

(24 Rheinstrasse; 7767511 

Germari actress. Paula Wessely 
just; celebrated her 50th birthday. 

. During March, the Vienna Phil-, 
harmonic orchestra, with Yehudi 
Menuhin as . guest soloist^ is tour¬ 
ing Germany: 

Arthur Miller’s play “The Last 
Patrol” to be presented in Wies¬ 
baden in February, with. Detlov 
Krueger directing. 

Carlos Thompson making a Ger¬ 
man film, “Ich war ihm hoerig’ (I 
Was in Bondage To Him), for Carl¬ 
ton films in Munich. 

Heinz Hilpert to star in his own 
production of Tennessee Williams* 
“Cat on Hot. Tin Roof,” due to open 
at Deutsche.Theatre in Goettingen. 

Heinz Freudenthal, conductor of 
the. Israel Radio Orchestra, to con- t 
duct the Hamburg Chamber Or¬ 
chestra In a program of Haydn 
Feb. 6. 

German actress Gusti Huber, who 
now lives^in America, is set for a 
role in George Stevens’ production 
of “Diary of Anrie Frank,” 20th- 
Fox filrii to roll in Europe shortly. 


London 


(COVent Garden 0135/6/71 

Actress June Thorbum left Sun¬ 
day (2) for a month’s vacation in 
Austria. ' 

Vocalist Alma Cogan planing to 
Iceland on Saturday (8) for 10 con¬ 
certs in as many days. 

John BraboUrne readying “Sirik 
the. Bismarck” for Marsham Pro¬ 
ductions as part of 20th-FoX’s Brit¬ 
ish film plans, 

“Lady. at . Wheel,” new. British 
musical, transferring from Lyric, 
Hammersmith, to the Westminster 
Feb. 19, with the same cast. 

American playwright John O’Hara 
planed in to attend the opening 
Monday (3) of his play “Double 
Gross,” starring. Michael Denison 
and Dulcie Gray; ; 

Lead in Marc Connelly’s “Hun¬ 
ter’s Moon,” opening Feb. 26, goes 
to young Canadian actor, David 
Gardner. Leading femme role was 
nabbed by Lesley Nunnerley.. 

Claud Mullins, eXrLbndori magis¬ 
trate. and ex-Superintendertt John 
Capstick, till recently one of Scot¬ 
land Yard’s “Big Five,” will be 
feted at the Variety Club lunch 
Feb. 11. 

. “Roseland,” a new j>lay by An¬ 
thony Pelissier, is to open at. St, 
Martin’s Theatre next Wed. (12). 
Frank Pettirigell and Michael 
Gough star; while the author will 
direct. 

Astor Clifton. James, who imper¬ 
sonated Montgomery in the war to 
hoax the Nazis, is to play same role 
in Maxwell Setton’s screen version 
of Janies’ book, “I Was Monty’s 
Double/’ 

Rank star Anne Heywood and 
.producer George Brown started 
whirlwind tour of the sticks on 
Monday (3) and make personals in 
connection with Brown’s lates pic, 
“Dangerous Exile.” 

.. The Royal nod Will be given to 
two forthcoming preems. Prince 
Philip attends. “Violent Play¬ 
ground” on March 3, to aid. the 
Commonwealth Trans - Antarctic 
Expedition while the Duchess of 
Kent will honor a midnight matinee 
of “Where’s Charley,” starring 
Norman. Wisdom Feb. 26 in aid of 
the Jack Buchanan Memorial Fund 
for Cancer Research. 


Miami Beack 

By Lary Solloway 

(1755 Calais Dr.; Union 5-5389) 

Goodman Ace writing an act for 
johnny Verdi. 

Deauville decided riot to pay $40,- 
QQ0 per week for Jerry Lewis. 

: Shelborne hotel, unable to get 
the right talent for its new cafe, 
switched to one-night date policy. 

Ritz Bros., headed for Las Vegas 
and four-weeker. at the Flamingo, 
with several offers for next season 
dangling. 

Lou Irwin setting re-teamed 
Chico arid Harpo Marx for Havana 
Riviera; they’re currently at Roose¬ 
velt, New Orleans. 

Congressman Jiirimy Roosevelt 
planed to N.Y., for preview of new 
play, “Sunrise At Campobello,” 
about his late father; 

Belden (El: Rancho Vegas) Katle- 
man and Dariny Arnstein plaried in 
with, chum Joe E. Lewis for his 
Eden Roc opening Feb. 6. 

Sue Carson and Bernard Bros, 
had contracts extended indefinite¬ 
ly by the Latin Quarter, which is 
insuring a possible non-fill by Mil-, 
ton Befle of his later-in-month 
date; 


Scotland 

By Gordon Irving 

(Glasgow: BEArsden 5566) 

Smaller cinemas report a serious 
dip in b.o. attendance. 

Arthur Matthews nariied new 
Chairman of Scot exhifes. 

: Jack Radcliffe, Scot- comedian, 
doing tv dates in London. 

Vauderies and cinemas suffered 
at wickets during recent heavy 
blizzards. 

Jack Milroy pacted as comedian 
for new sumrirer revue at Gaiety 
Theatre, Ayr. ; 

Alma Cogari set for vaude date 
at GlasgowEmpire Feb. 24 after 
trek to Iceland. 

Southlanders, Negro vocal four¬ 


some, pacted for. vaude week at 
Glasgow March 3, 

“Where’s Charley?,” starring 
Norman Wisdom, doing SRO biz in" 
season at King’s Theatre, Glasgow. 

Neil Kirk, N. Y. concert agent, 
planed in to look at Auld Lang 
Syne talent for a 1958 fall tour of 
Canada. 

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. guest at 
annual Scot Cinema Ball; iri Glas¬ 
gow. Also Miiko Taka, Japanese 
actress. 

Rank Organization honored em¬ 
ployees with over 25 years of serv¬ 
ice at a special luncheon in Odeori, 
Glasgow. 

Alec Frutin new chairman of 
Scot Theatrical Artistes’ Variety 
Fund. He succeeds late Harry F. 
Ashton. 

Robert Wilson, Scot tenor, mull¬ 
ing tour of South Africa and Aus¬ 
tralia iri 1959. He’s currently in I 
pantomime at the Pavilion, Glas-! 
gow. i 


Hollywood 


» By Jerry Gaghan 

Mingo Maynard, chanteuse, off 
to Atlanta to open new Harem 
Room,. Feb. 3. 

Jody Sands, local singer, left bn 
a tour of Australia, her first book¬ 
ing outside the U.S. 

The Academy of Music’s 101st 
anni concert grossed $120,00p for 
the single performance. 

Raymond Duncan in for press 
confabs in advance of his one-man 
show, “You With Me.” 

. June Valli breaking in act she 
intends to offer at Hotel Pierre, 
N. Y., during booking at Celebrity 
Room here. 

Big Bill’s Cafe and Hush Room 
suffered water and smoke damage 
when fire Swept through apartment 
on floor above. 


By Gene Moskowitz 

(28 Rue Huchette; Odeon 4944) 

H. G. Clouzot down south work¬ 
ing on his next film project to star 
his wife, Veras 

Since her operatic imbroglio in 
Rome, the disks (Pathe-Marcorii) 
of siriger.Maria Callas have tripled 
in sales here. 

Jack Palance saw “The Big 
Knife” here before heading for 
Berlin to star iri Robert Aldrich’s 
pic, “Six to One.” 

\ Roberto Rossellini huddling with 
Sophia Loren and her hubby, pro¬ 
ducer Carlo Poriti. A pic project 
looks to be in the offing. 

French pressmen feel that 
“Bridge on River Kwai” (Col), 
which won top Yank and Anglo pix 
awards, might also be eligible for 
Gallic pic kudos because it was 
taken from a book by a French¬ 
man who also scripted. 


Jan Sterling back from N. Y. 

- Natalie Roberts joined the Jack 
Pomercy Agency as an associate. 

Dick Irving Hyland named a 
veepee of Frank Cooper Associates. 

Jean Seberg in from east to 
bally “Bonjour Tristesse.” 

Garson Kanin arrived for script* 
ing confabs with Perlberg-Seatort, 

Melvin Getzler appointed vee- 
pee-treasurer of UPA, succeeding 
Ernest Scanlon, resigned. 

George Thomas Jr. resigned post 
of pub director for Otto Preminger 
fpr same spot with Stanley Kramer. 

Maurice Chevalier will emcee 
Screen Producers Guild’s annual 
Milestone Dinner April 13. 

Edward L. Hyman due this week 
to address So. Calif, exhibs-dis- 
tribs. 

Art Gilmore and. Lloyd Nolan 
succeed Jackie Cooper and Donald 
O’Connon on SAG directorate. 

Carl Switzer; onetime “Alfalfa” 
of “Our Gang” comedies, wounded 
in the arm by a mysterious assai* 
lant. 

Columbia Studio Employees Fed¬ 
eral Credit Union voted a 4% divi- 
, dend, distributing some $45,000 
among the members. 

.. Communications Counselors Inc., 
^consolidated its Hollywood and Los 
I Angeles: offices and put veepee 
1 Harry Berinett in charge. . 

. Ethel Barrymore fell and broke 
her arm, causing forced withdrawal 
I from “Brand of Jesse James,” 

; lensed Playhouse 90 show, 
i Charles Coburn,, now 80, will be 
honored tonight (Tues.) at a dinner, 
at Ben Blue’s Supper Club to mark. 
his 65th an.ni in . show biz; nearest 
longevity champ to Coburn is Ed¬ 
mund Gwenn, a performer for 63 
years. 

Hollis Alpert and Arthur Knight, 
of Saturday Review named as 
winners of the Screen Directors . 
Guild’s 1957 award for Outstand¬ 
ing Motiori. Picture Criticism, first 
time SDG has presented a double 
award. 

. Chinese Theatre, a showcase 
since Sid Grauman opened. it iri 
1927, shuttered Sunday night (2) 
for two-month period, to prep, for 
opening rif National Theatres’ first 
Cinemiracle productiori, “Wind¬ 
jammer,” in early April 


By Les Rees 

St. Paul Civic Opera Co., pre¬ 
sented “Samson and Delilah.” 

Northrop Auditoriuiri gets. 11th 
annual “Parade of Quartets” Feb. 
15. 

. Songstress Pat Windsor in sec¬ 
ond .week at Hotel Radisson Flame 
Room. 

Austrian. conductor Karl Boehm 
guest conductor With Minneapolis 
Symphony orchestra; 

Annual Burton Holmes Travel¬ 
ogue series set for five. St. Paul 
Auditorium Sundays starting Feb. 
23. 

Local Doc Evans Dixieland band 
playing its second uptown St. Louis 
Park cinema one^nighter Within 
month. 

Royal Ballet’s Northrop Audi- 
Ktorium three-night and one mati¬ 
nee engagement pulled sellout 
houses. 

With guitarist Andr.ew Segovia 
as soloist, Minneapolis Symphony 
in 4,500-seat Northrop Auditorium 
was complete sellout, season’s first, 

Victor Borge and his one-man 
show, which played highly profit¬ 
able three-performance Radio City 
Theatre date last year, returning 
March 12-13. 

Minnesota IL Theatre presented 
“I Remember Mama” for special 
guest audience before troupe 
shoved off with it on USO-Ameri- 
can Educational Theatre sponsored 
Far East Tour, 


(Delaware 7-4984) 

Steve Schickel, former WGN dee- 
jay, now working for Functional 
Music Inc. 

Ivan- Fuldauer,. former midwest 
pubber for Metro, joined Public 
Relations Board here as account 
exec. 

Trade Wirids hosting the stars of 
the current legit arid nitery shows 
to after-theatre supper on Thurs¬ 
day .(6). * . 

Lynri Burton, erstwhile . disk 
jockey, shuttered the Steak House- 
that pnee had been a second-string 
nitery and deejay hangout; 

Jack Barnett,'who had been chief 
cameraman for Universal’s news¬ 
reel bureau in Chi, now freelancing 
since the folding of that, operation 
here. 

Jerry Colonria, P. J. Hoff, Tiger 
Joe Marsh, Eric Braun, Studs, Ter- 
kel, George. Sixta and Jack Conroy 
make up panel of judges, for Col* 
lege of Complexes’ seventh annl 
costume . bash. 

Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” 
was first productiori last weekend 
of Theatre First, hew community 
repertory theatre organized by} 
Globe Players arid former thesps 
of Chi Catholic University Club. 


Berlin 


Rome 

By Robert F. Hawkins 
(Foreign Press Club: TCI. 800211) 

Italo film industry’s tele pro¬ 
gram. “Questo Nostro Ciriema” now 
called “Luci dello Schermo” and 
switched to a better slot. 

Rossano Brazzi off to the U. S. 
by ship, and due in New York Feb. 
6. Next pic for "Italo thesp is 
“A Certain Smile” for 20th iri Hol¬ 
lywood. 

Franca Bettoja, Sylvia Koscina, 
Luisa della Npce and Cosetta Greco 
head acting • contingent sent to 


March 1st, 1958 


Newsstands 


Subscription 



Per Copy 


Per Year 


See Details Page 63 


By Hans Hoehn 

(760264) 

Constantin, top domestic distrib, 
reissued Chaplin’s oldie, “The. 
Kid.” . 

Paramount’s “War & Peace* 
now in its 11th, month at the .Kur- 
bel. Latter has exclusive showing 
rights here. 

Kurt Ulrich-Productions is due 
to release Its long prepared pic. 
“Das gab’s riur einmal” (That Only 
Happered Once). . 

The German tele has started a 
Series under the title of “The Film 
Studio” which features excerpts 
from Pix which didn’t find a buyer 
iri this country. 

Local statistics reveal that 898 
German feature pix have been pro¬ 
duced in 1946 and Dec. 31, 1957/ 
They don’t include the East Ger¬ 
man productions which totalled 133 
in this period. 

•Several top Germari pix of. past 
years reshown recently over th 
country’s tele including “Viktor 
and Viktoria,” Josef von Stern¬ 
berg’s “Blue Angel” and Curt 
Goetz’ “Napoleon Is to Blame for 
Everything.” 

Mario Lanza due to give his first 
German guest appearances. His ; 
tour here includes seven cities— 
M u n i C h, Stuttgart, Wiesbaden, 
Hamburg, Kiel, Hanover '...and' 
Nuremberg, first date beirig Jan- 
24,:.'and finat^FeJ^fi. 


79 


Wednesday* February 5* 1958 


PTBBBft 


OBITUARIES 


HENRY (PETE) SALOMON JR. i 
Henry (Pete). Salomon, 40, direc¬ 
tor of special projects, at NfiC-TV 
and producer-writer of Victory, at 
lea ’’ died Feb. 1 in New York of 
a cerebral hemorrhage. Details in 
Badio-TV Dept^_ 

VICTOR PACKER 
Victor Packer % 61, a leading char¬ 
acter actor on The Yiddish stage, 
died Jan. 27 in Miami Beach. He 
\vas plavirig the role of Menachem 
Mendl in “Menachem Meridl in 
America,’.’ a play by Wolf Yoimin 
based on the character created by 
Sholem Alechem. He also directed 
the play, which was touring the 

i ^ Before coming to America in 
! 1925 Packer appeared on the stage 
in Poland and Lithuania. In New 
York he was with the Jewish Art 
Theatre and . the:. companies of 
Rudolph Schildkraut, Jacob Ben 
Ami and Maurice Schwartz. Among 
the plavs in Which he appeared 
were "“The Golem” arid “Bronx 
Express.” . .■ 

Fon 10 years he had been pro¬ 
gram director Of radio station 
YVLTH, now defunct. He had also 
been a staff member of WLIB for 
the last, four years and was the 
originator Of the “Jewish Amateur 
Hour.” 

Wife, son arid daughter survive. 

WILLIAM STEINKE 

William (Jolly Bill) Steinke, 
70, cartoonist and originator of one 
of the nation’s first children’s radio 
shows, died Jan. 28 In Old Orchard 
Beach, Me.. A native of Pennsyl¬ 
vania, he began cartooning for the 
Allentbwn, Pa.. Morning Call in 
1910 and was still contributing to 
the paper at his death. He also 
drew for the Bridgeport, Conn., 
Post and later moved to the New 
Y'ork. Daily Mirror, where he 
illustrated Nick Kenny’s radio 
column; 

In 1924 Steinke began his “Jolly 
Bill and Jane”* radio, shows on 
WOR, Newark, and three years 
later moved to NBC in New lYork. 
During WOrld War II he toured 


Caldwell H. Brown, Jh 

If 11-1934 


vaudeville with Gus Edwards arid 
Eddie Cantor. For a number of 
years, he toured with the team of 
Lawrence & Park and Lyons & 
Yosko. 

■ Lyons also appeared with the 
Paul Whiteman and Rudy Vallee 
orchestras and toured Europe Aid 
Australia with British bandleader 
Jack Hylton. He was preparing to 
open at the' Jade House in Lauder- 
dale-by-fee.-Sea when he died. 

Wife, two daughters, brother 
and two sisters survive. 


active in. the entertainment field 
and took part in one of the first 
radio broadcasts in Winnipeg. 

Surviving: are her husband, Alex¬ 
ander (Candy), a Scottish enter¬ 
tainer in Winnipeg; two sons, a 
daughter and three sisters. 

JOHN K. BRENT 

John K. Brent, 38, manager-con¬ 
troller of, 20th r F 6 x television 
studios, died Jan. 31 of cerebral 
hemorrhage in Hollywood follow¬ 
ing a short illness. A film industry 
vet, he had been associated with 
Selznick International, Motion Pic¬ 
ture Center and Desilu before 
joining TCF-TV iri 1955. 

.. Surviving are . his mother and 
brother. 


with the. US.O and one of these 
tours brought him to San Franr 
cisco, where he settled down, 
resuming his “Jolly: Bill and Jane” 
show for ItNBC, Frisco, offer the 
war. He returned East several 
years ago and spent his last days 
at Maine , convalescent home;. 


ANTOINETTE Q. SCUDDER 

Antoinette Q; Scudder, 72, co¬ 
founder and president of the Pa¬ 
per . Mill Playhousein Millburn, 

= N: J., died Jan. 27 in Millburn. . 

In 1929, Miss Scudder founded 
a dramatic branch of the Newark 
Art Club. : Out of this grew the 
Newark Art Theatre, art amateur 
group in which she was active and 
: which later became the Paper Mill 
Playhouse.. 

In. 1939, she and her associate, 
Frank Carrington, now producer 
and director of the Playhouse, 
moved their enterprise to Mill-' 
burn - .. An Old. paper mill there 
was. remodeled Into a theatre, art 
and music center. From 1933 un¬ 
til her death she was president 
of the enterprise, which operates 
from April, to the middle of 
January. 

Her brother survives. 

Mr. and Mrs. Mike Hutner, son, 
New York, Jan. 30. Father is na¬ 
tional publicity manager for. War¬ 
ner Bros. ! 


Samuel antek 

Samuel Antek, 49,. conductor and; 
musical director of the New Jer¬ 
sey Symphony Orchestra and a : 
guest conductor of . the Chicago 
Symphony,, died Jan. 27 in New 
York. ... 

A 'violinist, he made his debut at 
N. Y.’s Town ,Hall when he Was 
16 years old* and was a violinist 
with the. NBC Symphony under 
Arturo Toscanini for many years. 
He served as guest conductor With 
numerous orchestras including the 
Houston, Buffalo and Rochester 
symphonies. 

Wife, daughter, mother and two 
sisters survive. 


MILES A. GOLDRICK 

. Miles A. Goldrick, 54, public re¬ 
lations administrator of the Holly¬ 
wood division of Westrex for the 
last two years, died in Hollywood 
Jan. 28 following a stroke. He had 
been With the firm for many years, 
serving in. an executive capacity in 
various parts of the world. 

His wife, son and daughter sur¬ 
vive. ? 


CARLOS PUGLIESE 

Carlos J. Pugliesej 59, veteran 
Pittsburgh cafe figure, died at his 
home there of a • heart attack Jan. 
28. He was manager of the Town 
House Motel nitery at the time 
of his death. Piigliese had gone 
there., recently from Dore’s supper 
club, where he had been a captain 
for some time. 

He worked for Tony Conforti at 
the old Nixon Cafe, then opened 
his own ihtimery, the Little Red 
Door in Pitt., and for a time was 
connected with the Westmoreland 
Country Club. 

A cousin survives. 


EDWARD CONNE 
Edward Conrie, 59, former part¬ 
ner in Conne-Stephens Produc¬ 
tions; a Coast outfit, died Jan. 23 
while on a. business trip to New 
York. Inactive for the past several 
years, he formerly was head, of 
World Broadcasting in New York 
arid" of Radio Luxembourg in Eu¬ 
rope. 

His sister 1 survives. 


MRS. LOUISE- NOONAN MILLER 
Mrs. LouisC Noonan Miller,, 64, 
who established the Art Film The¬ 
atre in Washington: D.C., died Feb. 
2 in that city. , 

Mrs. Miller inherited the Little 
Theatre at 9th Si, in Washington, 
in 1935 and began to experiment 
with foreign films, ringing the bell 
first with the French version of 
Mayerling.” Later, she acquired 
and established an art and foreign 
film policy for the nearby Rialto 
Theatre, and subsequently turned 
an nld bank building into Wash- 
ln |fe n ’ s Playhouse Theatre. 
t re ^ re( i, a few years ago; The 
and Rialto were tofn down, 
. fee Playhouse operates as an 
arty first-run operation for Ilya 
Lopert. 

. GEORGE LYONS 
-Dominic Martoccio, 68 , harpist- 
ar.d vaudevillian known profession¬ 
ally as George Lyons, died Jan. 31 


Ataulfo argenta 

Ataulfo Argenta, 44, orchestra 
conductor, was found, dead Jan. 21 
iri the garage of. his home hear 
Madrid. He was not only one of 
Spain’s top maestros but of Europe, 
where he batoned a number of 
celebrated orchestras. 

After studying iri Brussels and 
Germany; Argenta was named res¬ 
ident maestro of. the Spanish Na¬ 
tional .Symphonic Orchestra. Dur¬ 
ing the last , two years he toured 
several Latino Countries. 

His wife and four children sur-. 
vive. 

GEORGE J. CAREY 

George J. Carey, 64, percussion¬ 
ist with the Cincinnati Symphony 
Orchestra since 1925, collapsed 
and died Jan. 28 after a xylophone 
solo in a .matinee concert for school 
children inCincy Music Hall. -Born 
in Boston, he started as a theatre 
musician in Rochester, N. Y., 
trouped with Sousa’s band and the 
Victor Herbert orchestra and 
played with the New York Sum¬ 
mer Opera and Ciricy Summer 
Opera. . : . 

Sumvirig are his wife, a step¬ 
daughter, sister and three brothers. 

EDWARD M; DRESSER 

Edward M. Dreiser, 84, a former 
actor and brother of the late novel¬ 
ist Theodore Dreiser and the. late 
composer Paul- Dresser,V died Jan. 
29 at Springfield Gardens, L.I. 

His . Broadway credits include 
“The Soldier of Fortune,” “Within 
the Law," “The Climbers” and the 
lead in “Paid in Full.” An accident 
Which nearly cost him his eyesight 
ended his. legit career. He Was 
khpwri. professionally as . Edward 
Dresser; 

His. daughter survives. 

LOUISE D. SPOOR 

Mfs» O; M. Forkert, producer of 
Children’s plays at Chi’s Goodman 
Theatre, died Jan. 28 in Chicago. 
Known .professionally as Louise 
Dale Spoor, her association with 
Goodman went back 20 years, first 
as business manager. She. also was 
founder and -editor .of the Coach 
House Press, publishers of chil¬ 
dren’s plays. . 

Her husband and two brothers 
survive; 

VITTORE VENEZIANI 

Vittore ; Veneziani, 80, onetime 
chorus master . of the La Scala 
Opera house, died recently in Fer.- 
rara, Italy. After debuting as con¬ 
cert pianist and conductor, he be¬ 
came a chorus master first in Ven¬ 
ice in 1914 and the following year 
at La Scala in Milan. 

With the rise of Mussohni m 
1938 he went td Switzerland, but 
returned: to-Lai Scala in 1945: He 
retired several , years ago, 

ELIZABETH PHIMISTER 

Mrs. Elizabeth Phimister, 
mother of Marsh Phimister, come- 
’ - -• j:i ' j T — 22 in 


fe Fort Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Idian and m'-ic.,. died Jan. 22 in 

Fla. He v appearetf4s 5-'child Winnipeg, 'Matr’^he* had been 


of the co-publisher of The Bill¬ 
board, died in Roslyn Estates, L.I., 
Feb. 2, burial In Cincinnati today 
(Wed.). 1 

Msgr. Edmund J. Burns, 71, 
longtime religious broadcaster via; 
station WABY, Albany, died Jan. 
26 in Watervliet, N.Y.; 


Michael J. Murtagh, former 
Pittsburgh Playhouse actor, died 
Jan. 27 in New York, where he had 
made, his home for the last, several 
years. 


Earl J. Fenston, 62, Fresno, CaL, 
lawyer who owned Hanford, Cal., 
radio station KNGS and dailies 
at Hanford and Santa Maria, Cal., 
died Jan. 31 in San Francisco. 
Wife and two sons survive. 


Wife, 33, of Maurice L. Levy, 
staff camera man for NBG-TV hews 
in the Dallas area,, died in that 
City Jan. 21. 


Lloyd S. “Eddie". Edwards, 65, 
member of the Warner Bros, 
studio prop department for 31 
years, died Jan; 28 in Hollywood. 
Son. and daughter survive. 


KATHLEEN HARDING 
Mrs. Kathleen Harding Snyder; 
73, secretary of the Metropolitan 
Opera Ballet School and. khowii 
professionally as. Kathleen Hard-: 
ing, died Jan. 31 In-Elmhurst, L. I., 
after a brief illness. She had been 
secretary of the ballet school for 
49 years. 

Son, daughter and sister survive; 


EDWARD KOODEN 
Edward Kooden,. 59, onetime 
trumpeter with the Ben Bernie, 
Wayne Kipg, and Paul Whiteman 
orchestras, died Jan; .31 in Chicago, 
apparently of a heart attack. He 
was veepee and sales manager: for 
a Chi glass firm, 

A daughter, two sons, a sister 
and. three , brothers survive. 


Paul Young Herrick, 47, song¬ 
writer and film composer, died 
Jari. 26 in Hollywood. His wife, 
father, two sisters and one brother 
survive. 

Manuel Rodrigues, 70, painter 
and stage decorator Who for' years 
worked with the Lisbon opera 
house and the Portuguese national 
theatre, died recently in Lisbon, 

Mrt. Maurice L. Levy, 33, staff 
photographer for NBC in Dallas, 
Tex., died Jan. 28 in Dallas, after 
a brfef illness. 

Father, 72, of soprani) Victoria 
de los Angeles, ; died recently in 
Barcelona. 

Mario Castillo Tapia, 52, Mexican 
dramatic actor, died recently in 
Monterrey, Mexico; 


VAN A, NOMIKOS 
Van A. Noihikos, 61, Chicago 
theatre owner,, died Feb, 1 in that 
city. He owned several film houses 
and . a driye-in in Champaign, Ill. 
Nomikes also was a former vice- 
president of . Allied Theatres of 
America. 

Wife, daughter and brother sur¬ 
vive. 


TRAVIS BANTON 
Travis Banton, 64, one of Holly¬ 
wood’s top dress designers, died 
Feb. 2 in Los Angeles.' His most 
recent work was in collaboration 
with the . designer Marusia on 
gowns for the film version, of 
‘Auntie Marne.” 


CHARLES L. JUDGE 
Charles L. Judge, 43, general 
manager of the Trans-Lux .Theatre, 
died Feb, 1 in Philadelphia, He 
had been associated, with: the 
Trans-Lux for 18 years... 

Wife, daughter and brother, 
survive. 


TV Sex Angles 

=; continued from page 2 -55555. 

down from the. Legion arid MPAA, 
the Legion: disallowing any refer¬ 
ence to abortion, as well as having 
other objections. Television, ac¬ 
cording to Schwartz, is “more pro¬ 
gressive" in . its thinking, treating 
such topics as dope addiction in 
drama. That topic had been for¬ 
bidden by the MPAA in motion 
pictures, but it is now acceptable. 

“I Am A Camera" is one of 25 
pix being packaged by DCA for 
distribution by Flamingo Films. 


JONAS PERLBERG 
Jonas Perlberg,. 73, ex-theatre 
manager, arid in recent years Chi¬ 
cago correspondent for a film trade: 
publication, died of a .heart attack' 
Jan. 27 in Chicago. He was a mem¬ 
ber of the Variety Club In Chi. 

A brother and sister survive. 


Lou Kolb, head of Metro’s elec¬ 
trical department for 35 years until 
his retirement in 1936, and Mrs. 
Kolb perished in a fire which swept 
their Beverly Hills, Cal, home 
Jan; 26. 

Sol Goldman, 60, a Rim projec¬ 
tionist in Chicago for over. 40 
years, died Jan. 24, apparently of 
a heart attack, while : at work at 
the Kino Theatre, Chi, Wife, a 
daughter, three brothers and a 
sister survive, 

, Vittorio Trevisan, 89, a . former 
basso buffo with the old Chicago 
Civic Opera Co., died: Jan, 27 in 
New York. He joined the Chi¬ 
cago Opera in 19i2 and remained 
with it until the 1930’s, 


WTEN’s Rules 

Albany, Feb. 4. 

WTEN’s Charles (Gig) Pogan, 
director of tv operations, follows 
some'simple rules to achieve what 
he deems as good taste in feature 
telecasting. . (WTEN has a bundle 
of Metro pix). 

Station never schedules a Jean 
Harlow release on its “Early 
Show/’ from 5:30. to 7 p.m., when 
kids make up the bulk of the audi¬ 
ence. The, stress on “body” is 
considered too sexy for the young¬ 
sters. Vlf .a youngster stays up 
after ll p.m;,” opines Pogan, “We 
feel it is the parent’s responsibility. 
Not ours.” 

He added that some of the films 
produced in the early ’30’s contain 
scenes, especially anatomical, 
which WTEN does not consider 
suitable for home. reception. These 
are eliminated; Older cartoons 
must be watched, too. WTEN does 
not wish to have any double enten¬ 
dre telecast, even though It may be 
over the heads of kid viewers. Nor 
does it wish to slate cartoons 
which, are prejudicial to amicable 
race; relations. 


Louis Salant, 78, retired attorney 
arid father of Richard S. Salant, v.p, 
of CBS Inc., died in New York 
Feb. 3 after a. long illness. Other 
Survivors ate the widow, a sister, 
brother and daughter. 


Roy V. Starting, operator of the 
White Theatre, Fort Worth, . Tex., 
died there recently. Surviving are 
his wife, three daughters, mother, 
two sisters and a brother. 


Mrs: William D: Littleford, wife 


Paar ft Winters 

—— Continued front page l.ss 

goes for everybody from Paar on 
down,, including Winters, fiody 
Goodman, et al. Going even a step 
further, the network designated 
continuity chieftain Stockton Helf- 
frich to stay, on top'of the pro¬ 
gram. Henceforth, all material, in¬ 
cluding that of the regulars and 
guests, must be cleared in advance 
bv Helffrich. Understood Paar 
himself has been disturbed by the 
“offbounds” stuff and has “made 
his peace” with Miss Maxwell on 
a more decorous approach to their 
verbal jousts. 

NBC’s concern is, understand¬ 
able in view of the’ show’s cur¬ 
rently preeminent status as per¬ 
haps the major “sleeper’^ of? fee 
season. 


Pail Robeson 

aas»a Contlimed from page 2 555 

Oakland has come from a group 
that calls Itself a Whit Citizens 
Council (a la Birmingham) and has 
as its address General Delivery, 
Oakland, Cal. It’s threatened to 
picket the theatre. 

Among publicity breaks Robe¬ 
son’s had in the past week have 
been stories In the Scripps-How- 
ard afterneoon News, Senator Wil¬ 
liam Knowland’s Oakland Tribune 
and a tepid interview with Jane 
Todd (Wanda Ramey) on 50,000- 
watt KCBS. 


Asks ‘Limited’ Passport OK 

Paul Robeson, who’s been denied 
a passport to travel abroad since 
1950, is asking the State Dept, to 
reconsider its position in order 
that he may appear with the 
Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at 
Stratford-on-Avon, England, this 
summer. In the event his request 
is granted he will be seen as 
Gower, the storyteller, in "Peri¬ 
cles.” 

Although Robeson is seeking 
only “limited” passport, the 
Government reportedly will not 
issue such a document until the 
singer-actor “answers questions in 
respect to Communist party mem¬ 
bership.” The “limited” status 
would restrict the applicant’s 
journey to England, where he 
would rehearse and act in “Peri¬ 
cles." Latter would be done in 
repertory from July 8 to Nov. 29, 


MARRIAGES 

Alice Falvey to Michael Ryan, 
Brooklyn, N. Y., Jan. 25. He’s a 
member of the Variety staff. 

Joanne Woodward to Paul New¬ 
man, Las Vegas, Jan. .29. Both are 
thesps. 

' ’Irene Abel to James Nairn, Glas¬ 
gow, Jan. 24. He’s an announcer 
on Scot indie tv. 

Angela Bradshaw to Andy •Peter¬ 
sen, London, Jan. 27. Bride’s a 
dancer;, he’s a singer. 

Milita Brandon to Nino Villa- 
vera, Santiago, Chile, Jan. 5. Bride 
is a niteiy emcee; he’s an .an- 
nouncer at Radio Pacifico there. 

1 Emy Boselli to Richard H. 

[ Farmer, New York, Jan. 25. Bride 
is an actress; he’s an actor. 

Rita Hayworth to James Hill, 
Beverly Hills, Feb. 2. Bride is the 
film star; producer is of Hecht-Hill-. 
Lancaster firm. 

Veriynne S. Beane to Edgar H. 
Needham 3d, Burlington, Vt., Jan. 
25. He’s, an announcer at radio 
station WJOY there. 

Denise Pelletier to, Basil Zarov, 
Montreal, Jan. 25. Bride is a stage 
and tv actress; he’s a commercial 
photographer.. 

Betty Reilly to Jack D. Diehl, 
San Francisco, Jan. 28. Bride is a 
night club singer. 

Fritzi. Smith-Hall to Angelo 
Casalini, New York, Jan. 24. He’s 
on the boxoffice staff at the N. Y. 
City Center. 


BIRTHS* 

Mr. and Mrs. Sam Saran, daugh¬ 
ter, Chicago, Jan, 23. Father is 
news writer for WMAQ-WNBQ 
there. 

Mr. and Mrs. Dale- Klemans, 
daughter, Pittsburgh, Jan, 28, 
Mother is, former Carnegie Tech 
Drama School and Pittsburgh 
Playhouse costumiere. 

Mr. and Mrs. Bert Freed, daugh¬ 
ter, New York, Jan. 29. Father 
Is an actor. 

Mr. and Mrs. William J. Mona¬ 
han, daughter, New York, Jan. 27. 
Mother is singer Teresa Brewer. 

Mr. and Mrs. Pat Boone, daugh¬ 
ter, Hackensack, N. J., Jan. 30. 
Father is ai singer. 

Mr. and Mrs. Milton Goldentyer, 
son. Philadelphia, Jan. 29. Mother 
is daughter of. Milt Young, Colum¬ 
bia.Pictures publicist. 

Mr. and Mrs. Albert Levin, 
daughter. Sail Francisco, Jan. 14. 
Father is manager of the Coronet 
Theatre there, 

Mr. and Mrs. Valentino Sarra, 
daughter. New York, Dec. 11. Fa¬ 
ther is the commercial television 
artist, photographer and producer; 
mother is former musieomedy star 
Marcy Wescott. . 

Mr. and Mrs. Albert Floersheim- 
er Jr., daughter, Neptune, N.’ J., 
Jan. 31. Father, former v.p. of 
Walter Reade Theatres, recently 
assumed post: as public relations 
director of Theatre Owners of 
America. . # 

Mr. and Mrs. Sam Coslow% 
daughter. New York, Jan. 28. 
Mother is Singer Frances King; fa¬ 
ther is a songwriter. 

Mr. and Mrs. Marc Brandel, 
daughter, Feb. 4, New r York. Moth¬ 
er is t-v .actress Riuja Michellp; fa¬ 
ther is a tv playwright. 


Wednesday, February 5, 1958 













Published Weekly at 1M West 46tk Street, New York 39, N. : Y., by Variety. Inc. Annual subscription, *10. .Sind* copies. 25 cents. 
Entered as second-class matter December 32, 1905. at tha Post Offica at New York, N. Y.. under the act of March 3, 1979. 

— COPYRIGHT, 1958, BY VARIETY. INC. AIX RIGHTS RESERVED 


VOL. 209 No. 11 

NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12,1958 

PRICE 25 CENTS 




•4 


Some Film Execs Resent State Dept; 


n vi. n i 1 a . 


Another flood of did movies 
went down the sluices last week 
as Paramount sold off some 750 
features made prior to 1948 to 
■Music Corp. of America^ for tele¬ 
vision syndication; The deal had 
been anticipated but the depres¬ 
sive impact on the film theatre 
operators of the country was not 
less real when the deal went 
through. The new rallying cry is: 

« “Life Begins after 1948 —■ 
no more sales to tv!” 
in the wake of ruthless slash-, 
ings of payroll and other econo¬ 
mies, after one of. the worst pre- 
Christmas . slumps in years, there 
has been an upturn at the box- 
office and film showmen are trying 
to nurse a quiet case for future 
Optimism. 

The “villain” is not just the 
country’s creeping inflation with 
unemployment, not just tight 
money (now somewhat easier) but 
the mysterious background bank¬ 
ers; and capital gains raiders who, 
operating showmen fear, might, 
sell a still-big industry down the 
river of immediate fast-buck finan¬ 
cial gains. 


EXHIBS FACE THE ISSUE 

By RY HOLLINGER 

Louisville, Feb. 11. 
As the delegates to this year’s' 
Allied States Assn, drive-in con¬ 
vention gathered in this Kentucky 
trading centre ;the issues Were 
about what could be anticipated: 

The retailers, (theatres) were 
alarmed lest the. suppliers (pro¬ 
ducer-distributors) unlock their 
vaults and let flood with' the fea¬ 
tures made after 1948. * 

Ex hi bi tor § were Mr. Two- 
Thoughts about upcoming new 
film product. It was (1) the great¬ 
est but (2). depressingly and dis¬ 
turbingly Over-priced. 

“Delight” that the new pictures, 
after ’ the Dec e m b e r horrors 
(Continued .on page Iff) 


‘Sorry, Wrong Island 9 

“Omnibus;” which kidded 
the pants off the telephone 
company a few weeks back via 
On Elaine & Mike sketch on 
the we’ll-send-you-stamps rou¬ 
tine for a wrong number, got 
its comeuppance, last week in 
an unexpected manner. 

AT&T’s retribution came 
whenv - an “Omnibus” - staff er 
had, to do some research on 
Pitcairn Island with respect 
to the show’s presentation 
Sunday (9) of “I Found the 
Bones of the Bounty.” Staffer 
decided on direct action, and 
put in a direct telephone call' 
to the Smith Sea Island. After 
being shuttled through a half- 
dozen longdistance and inter¬ 
national operators for-some 20 
minutes, the “Omnibus” staf¬ 
fer was told, “Sorry, sir, there 
are no telephones on Pitcairn 
Island.’’ 


YANKS DUCKING PARIS 
AS TOO EXPENSIVE 

Paris, Feb. 11. 

France is getting concerned that 
its essential tourist industry is on. 
the slip. Due to rising costs and 
tourists telling one another that 
Paris is prohibitively expensive 
the Americans hitting the French 
capital diminished in numbers, 
350,015 in 1957 from 400,821 the 
year before. ^ 

Of every 100 Yank tourists, 
however, 48 still hit Paris, 40 hit 
London, 30 go to Rome. . French 
research Shows Zurich, Frankfurt, 
Venice, Madrid, Milan, Florence 
and Geneva other prime stopovers 
for Yanks* 

A compensation for Paris is that 
while Yanks have dimi ished more 
Austrians, Germans, Italians and 
Swiss are. checking.in. 


TVs Decalcomaniacs 


Marlboro Com’ls Bringing Tattoo Back in Favor; 
Kids Just Wild About ’Em 


Tacoma, Feb, 11. 4 

The advertiser and the agency-, 
man must share the blame “for 
much if not most of the bad; dull, 
uninteresting, ineffective and 
downright silly advertising today.” 
The advertiser makes decisions on 
creative aspects of his advertising 
beyond his experience and too 
often the agency man goes along 
{because “he lacks guts and is 
afraid to risk his bread and but¬ 
ter.” . 

This was the criticism leveled 
at segments of the advertising 
business here by veteran agency 
executive Walter Guild, president 
of Guild, Bascom &-Bonfigli.. 

In an address to the Tacoma 
Advertising Club; Guild sought to 
orient those so-called practical 
businessmen who are constricting 
advertising and agencymen whose 
“timidity is not only debatable 
ethics, it is not even good busi¬ 
ness.”. 

In his discussion as to how ad¬ 
vertising might be made even bet¬ 
ter- than it is. Guild first went on 
record with the ■statement, that 
most, advertising today is good, ef¬ 
fective and does what it is sup¬ 
posed to do—produces sales. “Ad- 
continuer on page 51) 



Jumps Again As 



By ROBERT J. LANDRY 

Crisis opera, meaning Maria 
Callas sings tonight—or does she? 
—reached a new peak of crowded, 
noisy, nervous excitement last 
Thursday . (7) at the Met in Manhat¬ 
tan. Madame rendered .Violetta in 
Verdi’s “La Traviata” like a second 
' staging of the aurora borealis with 
a new switchboard. 

As usual, people were too busy 
either attacking or defending the 
American-born Greek from Italy 
to have time for calm appraisal. 
But though the dressjr charity aud¬ 
ience was not too well-mannered 
musically, and the tenor was in 
trouble all the way, it was clear 
that Callas was . re-demonstrating 
her unique ability to make the 
opera house jump. What .part of 
/the will-she-won’t-she advance 
buzz Was publicity no one may. 
authoritativel